BHANDARA, India — A fire tore through the intensive care unit of a government-run hospital in western India tragically leaving 10 infants dead, authorities said.
Staff rescued seven of the newborn infants at the Bhandara district hospital but were forced back before they could get to the 10 others, police said.
A preliminary investigation suggested the fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit, police said.
The Press Trust of India news agency said the infants were between a few days to three months old.
The fire brigade stopped the blaze from spreading to other parts of the hospital and other patients were moved to safety.
“Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the deaths “extremely tragic”.
Bhandara is about 625 miles south of New Delhi.
