10 children die in Jhansi medical college blaze

At least 10 children died in a fire that engulfed the children’s ward of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district on Friday night, officials said here, adding the casualties might go up.

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar said the fire broke out around 10.45 pm in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College possibly due to a short circuit.

The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. “Prima facie, there is information of the death of 10 children,” the DM said.

Fire engines were rushed to the spot while senior officers of the district also reached the medical college, the police said in a brief statement on social media.

Purported visuals from the medical college showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers being evacuated, even as several police personnel aided rescue and relief measures. CM Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured.