The fire broke out at the Sick Baby Care Unit (SNCU) of a local hospital in Bhandara district, Maharashtra, Doordarshan said in a tweet on his verified Twitter account. Firefighters rescued seven other babies from the unit.
“Investigations are continuing,” Tope said, adding that $ 6,813 (5 lakh Indian rupees) would be paid in compensation to each of the affected families. The state will also bear the costs of funeral and counseling.
“Anyone guilty of this will not be spared at all,” Tope said. “It must be ensured that such incidents do not occur from now on.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lamented the incident on Saturday morning. “A heartbreaking tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are directed to all the grieving families. I hope the wounded 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 lost their children in this heartbreaking event “.
Interior Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that the “irreparable loss” “hurt him beyond words.”
The country’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan, said he was in contact with Tope about the incident.