Amravati (Maharashtra): Three newborns died after a devastating fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women’s Hospital here early Monday, prompting the state government to order a high-level inquiry into the tragedy.

Thirty-six others were rescued from the smoke-filled facility following the fire, which erupted at around 3.15 am inside a section of the NICU housing premature, low-weight, and critically ill babies, officials said. CM Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep grief over the incident and ordered a high-level probe to investigate the cause of the fire. He announced ex gratia financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each deceased baby. According to police and health officials, the fire was triggered by an explosion in a ventilator in the outborn infants’ section of the NICU.

The facility consists of three compartments: inborn, outborn and a step-down care ward for infants preparing for discharge. It housed a total of 39 babies at the time of the incident. While staff and rescuers managed to evacuate six babies from the affected outborn section, three died in the fire. The tragedy sparked severe outrage among parents and relatives waiting outside the facility, who alleged gross negligence and a complete failure of safety infrastructure. Eyewitnesses claimed the ward’s fire alarms failed to sound and the automatic water sprinkler system did not activate as smoke rapidly filled the ward.

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