Jhansi- A devastating fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi on Friday night, claiming the lives of 10 newborns and leaving 16 others critically ill. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site of the fire on Saturday.

Taking to social media platform X, Brajesh Pathak stated, “Today I inspected the unfortunate fire accident in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi and gave necessary instructions to the officials. During this, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health in Uttar Pradesh, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma and other officials were present.”​

According to hospital officials, the fire, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, emerged around 10:35 p.m. in one of the two NICU units. The room's high oxygen concentration contributed to the rapid spread of the flames, trapping many infants.

In a heartbreaking scene, doctors and medical staff were seen evacuating patients by breaking windows of the smoke-filled ward, even before fire brigade officials arrived. While 45 infants were successfully rescued, 10 succumbed to the tragedy. District Magistrate of Jhansi, Avinash Kumar, confirmed the death toll and stated that a committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and ordered a swift relief operation. He also directed the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police of Jhansi to submit a report within 12 hours.