The fire broke out in a local hospital’s Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra, Doordarshan said in a tweet on his verified Twitter account. Firefighters rescued seven other babies from the unit.
“The investigation is continuing,” Tope said, adding that $ 6,813 (5 lakh Indian rupees) would be paid as compensation to each of the affected families. The state will also bear funeral and counseling costs.
“Anyone who is guilty of this will not be spared at all,” Tope said. “It must be ensured that such types of incidents do not occur in future.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the incident on Saturday morning. “Heartbreaking tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the grieving families. I hope the injured recover as soon as possible,” he wrote on Twitter.
The office of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted in Hindi: “I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of babies in a fire accident in Bhandara, Maharashtra. My sincere condolences to the families who are caring for their children in this heartbreaking event lost. “
Interior Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that he was “tormented beyond words” by the “irreparable loss.”
The country’s health and family welfare minister, Harsh Vardhan, said he was in touch with Tope about the incident.