Infant dies in Thane ambulance fire

One-day-old charred to death as doctor and nurse save themselves, leave him behind

THANE: A day- old baby was charred after a cylinder exploded inside the ambulance in which he was placed, outside a Thane hospital early on Friday. A doctor and nurse accompanying the child jumped out when the fire broke out, but left the baby behind.

The fire broke out after the doctor switched on the oxygen supply for the ventilator. The doctor, Bhavdeep Garg, and nurse Rejo Chacko managed to jump out minutes before the cylinder exploded.

Within minutes, the vehicle was engulfed in flames, as the child’s father, Manish Jain, and other relatives looked on helplessly. “It happened in just a few seconds. We were outside the hospital,” said a family member, not wishing to be named.

“As the doctor started the oxygen supply, we noticed a spark. Before we realised, the entire vehi- cle had caught fire. Everyone was running and no one realised the baby was still inside the ambulance,” he said.

The baby was born on Thursday at a private hospital in Bhiwandi, but developed medical complications, after which he was shifted to Thane’s Vedant Hospital. When his condition did not improve, his parents decided to take him to Surya Hospital in Santacruz, which sent an ambulance with the doctor and nurse at 1am on Friday.

The baby was put on ventilator support inside the ambulance.

“When the oxygen cylinder was switched on, there was a spark. But the ambulance driver, Ganesh Shinde, did not notice it and started the vehicle. The fire broke out in a few seconds,” said Ashok Jain, Manish’s brother-inlaw, who was standing outside.

CONTINUED ON P11

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