UP hospital fire that killed 11 babies was accidental: Report

A fire at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, that tragically claimed the lives of 11 newborns has been deemed accidental, according to a two-member investigative committee, a news report said.
The incident, which occurred in the neonatal wards of the hospital around 10:45 pm on Friday, has not resulted in the registration of any First Information Report (FIR) as the panel found no evidence of criminal conspiracy or negligence, NDTV reported citing sources.
 
The fire broke out in the neonatal wards of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on Friday night.
The two-member committee, which was supposed to submit its report within 24 hours, consisted of Jhansi Commissioner Vipul Dubey and DIG Range Kalanidhi Nathani. The committee’s findings revealed that fire in the paediatrics ward could not be controlled as water sprinklers were not installed. According to the report, doctors told the committee that water sprinklers were not installed due to the presence of newborns in the NICU ward.
 
The committee’s detailed investigation report is expected soon.
During the incident, two doctors, six nurses and other staff were present in the ward. In an attempt to control the fire, one of the nurses suffered burns on her legs.
The fire was caused due to a short circuit in a switchboard that spread quickly to the oxygen concentrator. By the time paramedical staff and others used went with fire extinguishers, the fire was out of control. However, the fire engine reached within minutes, the report said.
 
Meanwhile, a four-member panel was formed, headed by the Director General of Medical Education, Kinjal Singh. This panel will check the causes of short circuits and overloading of machines. It will determine if the short circuit was caused by negligence and provide guidelines to avoid such incidents in the future. The panel will submit its report within a week.