Ten newborns killed in hospital fire in northern India

At least 10 newborns have died in a fire at a hospital in northern India after a blaze broke out in the neonatal ward.

Staff at the hospital in the town of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh state were able to break in and rescue 44 infants, but at least 16 are in a critical condition, authorities said.

The blaze on Friday night at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College Hospital is being blamed on an electrical fault.

Pictures from the scene showed anguished parents outside the hospital.

Indian media reported that the fire first broke out in the intensive care unit of the infants ward at around 22:30 local time (17:00 GMT).

Local officials believe an electrical short circuit or another fault in a machine used to increase the level of oxygen in the ward sparked the fire.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has posted a message online calling the deaths “heart-wrenching”.

“My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” he wrote.

Officials from the Uttar Pradesh state government told reporters on Saturday three bodies were still yet to be identified.

State deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said a safety review of the public hospital had been carried out in February, and a fire drill as recently as June.

State officials have announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (£4,600; $5,900) for the bereaved families.

This is the second prominent hospital fire in India in six months where newborns have been killed. In May, six babies were killed in a fire at a private neonatal facility in Delhi.