Residents of east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, where seven newborns died at a child care centre, have alleged that oxygen cylinders were being distributed at the centre, and they had earlier complained about this to the authorities. “The cylinders burst when the fire broke out.
Deadly fire in India kills six infants at children’s hospital in Delhi :
At least six infants died in a fire at a children’s hospital in the Indian capital on Saturday evening, officials said.
Fire officer Suresh Kumar said on Sunday that six newborn babies were rescued from the fire and taken to another hospital.
Kumar said that the fire that broke out on the first floor of the hospital was extinguished within about an hour.
A nearby house also caught fire, but no casualties were reported.
The cause of the fire in Vivek Vihar area of East Delhi is being investigated.
Resident Ashok Gupta told ABC that he heard at least four explosions around 11.30pm local time on Saturday.
“Our house shook and we ran outside in fear,” Gupta said.
“You can see for yourself that it was used as a storage unit for oxygen cylinders,” Gupta said.
At least a dozen oxygen cylinders could be seen inside the debris of the hospital, many of which exploded with great force and were sent hundreds of meters away.
Jitinder Singh Shaunti runs a volunteer ambulance service and helps save newborn babies.
Mr Shawnty said, “The fire was horrific. The police and fire brigade were present here, but we couldn’t figure out how to get inside. So we went in through the back windows.”
“There was a lot of smoke, children were burning in their cots, but we managed to replace 12 children.
“Six of them were alive and six were dead.
“The incident was horrifying. I searched every corner of the building to make sure there was no one else inside.”
Mr Shanty accused the local health department of negligence, and questioned why there was a hospital in the middle of a residential neighbourhood.
“A regular cylinder used for cooking has a pressure between 1 and 3 kg. This cylinder has 150 kg, which means it can fly like a missile,” he said.
“It was a relatively small incident, it was daytime, there was a crowd and many people could have died.
“So I think this is serious negligence on the part of the Ministry of Health.”
Second major fire in two days
Earlier on Saturday, at least 33 people were killed in a fire at a crowded amusement park in Rajkot city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
A Hindu newspaper reported that nine of the victims were children under the age of 16.
The four-year-old amusement park was reportedly built in temporary structures with tin roofs and two floors.
Local police said the victims were so burnt beyond recognition.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but local police say they will file a case of negligence against the theme park owner.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media platform X.
He wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the fire incident in Rajkot. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. My prayers go out to the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected people.” Is working for.”
Fires are common in India, where construction workers and residents often violate building codes and safety rules.
