The fire broke out in the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of a local hospital in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra, Doordarshan said in a tweet on his verified Twitter account. Firefighters rescued seven other babies from the unit.
“The investigations are underway,” Tope said, adding that $ 6,813 (5 lakh Indian rupees) would be paid as compensation to each of the affected families. The state will also bear the funeral and escort costs.
“Whoever is guilty of this will not be spared at all,” said Tope. “It must be ensured that such incidents no longer occur in future.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the incident on Saturday morning. “Heartbreaking tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the relatives. I hope the injured recover as soon as possible,” he wrote on Twitter
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind’s office also tweeted in Hindi, “I am deeply saddened by the premature death of babies in a fire accident in Bhandara, Maharashtra. My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their children in this heartbreaking event.”
Home Secretary Amit Shah said in a tweet that he was “unspeakably tormented” by the “irretrievable loss.”
Health and Family Minister Harsh Vardhan said he was in touch with Tope about the incident.