People gather outside the Kamala Nehru Children's Hospital where four children died in a fire in Bhopal.
Bhopal: In a shocking incident, at least four infants died after a fire broke out in the children's ward of Kamala Nehru Children's Hospital in Bhopal late on Monday night.
According to officials, the fire broke out in a general ward and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) ward, from where 36 of the 40 infants were rescued, whereas four infants, who were already in a critical condition, lost their life.
"Four children died in the fire that broke out in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) ward probably due to a short circuit. We reached the spot along with others soon after getting information about the incident. It was dark inside the ward. We shifted the children to the adjacent ward," State Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said.
The blaze started in the ward on the third floor of the hospital, which has the ICU, at around 9 pm and 8-10 fire engines were rushed to the site, said Fatehgarh Fire Station in-charge Juber Khan. Visuals from the hospital showed shocked parents breaking down on the stairs after escaping from the ward as the rescue operation started.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, condoling the deaths, said the incident was "very sad".
"We were unable to save three children who were already seriously injured in the fire incident which is very painful. The rescue operation was swift and the blaze is under control, now but unfortunately the lives of three children could not be saved," Mr Chouhan had tweeted earlier. Another death was reported later.
"A high-level probe into the incident has been ordered. The probe will be conducted by additional chief secretary (ACS) health and medical education, Mohammad Suleiman," the Chief Minister said in another tweet.
He has announced a compensation of ₹ 4 lakh for the family members of the victims.