CM visits Maha fire site, victims’ kin blame staff

NAGPUR: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday met the families of the 10 infants who were killed in a fire at the neonatal care ward of Bhandara district municipal hospital yesterday.

Only seven of 17 newborns in the ward could be rescued. Preliminary probe suggested that a short-circuit caused the blaze in the wee hours of Saturday.

“It was a very sad and heartwrenching incident. I met the kin of some of the deceased newborn babies. I have no words to console them, as the lives which are lost cannot be brought back. I have also inspected the spot (in the Bhandara hospital where the fire had occurred),” he told reporters.

“The probe we have announced will also check if the fire was an accident or was something which happened as a result of ignoring earlier safety report or due to negligence or because of any other factors,” he added.

Assuring stringent action against those responsible for the lapses, Thackeray said: “Truth will come out. We are not going to blame anyone purposefully, but if any negligence is found, stringent action will be taken against those responsible for any lapses.”

While the state government has sought a report into the mishap in three days, officials said it could take longer.

Meanwhile, several parents have blamed the hospital staff for dereliction of duty. A family who lost their infant claimed that no doctor or nurse was present in the unit when the fire erupted, news agency PTI reported.