In a tragic incident in the National Capital late at night in a children’s hospital about seven newborns lost their lives. Sadly the owner of the hospital is hiding away and the Delhi police believe that he has fled to Jaipur. “Twelve newborn babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary said in a statement, but adding that when they reached medical attention, seven were dead.
In the wake of the fire tragedy at a hospital in Delhi, the Prime Minister has announced that an ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to each of those injured.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 26, 2024
7 infants killed in fire at New Born Baby Care Hospital in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, owner Naveen kichi absconding!
12 newborns rescued from the medical facility. Gas cylinders were heard exploding in the fire. Cause of fire unknown. #Delhi govt suspects negligence, warns of strict… pic.twitter.com/khNMVtnNNN
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) May 26, 2024
The fire, which broke out around 11:32 pm, rapidly intensified due to multiple oxygen cylinders exploding, further spreading the flames and causing significant damage.
“We received the call at 11:32 pm and initially sent out seven fire trucks, followed by an additional fourteen,” Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, told NDTV. “There were 4-5 explosions that worsened the fire, with oxygen cylinders being thrown as far as 50 meters away. The building, which was ground plus three stories, had children on the first floor and a storage area on the second. The fire spread to the adjacent floors as well,” he detailed.
Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours, during which time the task of locating and rescuing the infants added to the challenges.
“We did not know the exact number of children inside,” Garg added. “The initial cause of the fire appears to have been an electrical pole igniting, which then set a parked vehicle on fire, eventually causing the oxygen cylinders to catch fire.”
#WATCH | Rajesh, Fire Officer says, ” At 11:32 pm, Fire Service Control Room received information that fire broke out at a hospital…total 16 fire tenders reached the spot and fire has been extinguished completely. 2 buildings were affected by the fire, one is the hospital… https://t.co/lHzou6KkHH pic.twitter.com/gdVD9nNOGy
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024
Garg also mentioned that while the building reportedly had a No Objection Certificate (NOC), the fire department had no records of it. “We are verifying the NOC. If it’s found lacking, we will recommend closing the building. An investigation is underway to determine if proper firefighting measures were in place, but it’s difficult to assess right now as the building is completely gutted.”
#WATCH | Delhi: A massive fire broke out at a New Born Baby Care Hospital in Vivek Vihar
As per a Fire Officer, Fire was extinguished completely, 11-12 people were rescued and taken to hospital and further details are awaited.
(Video source – Fire Department) https://t.co/lHzou6KkHH pic.twitter.com/pE95ffjm9p
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024
Realizing the severity of the situation, the hospital’s owner, Naveen Kichi, fled before the police arrived at his home. Authorities believe he may be in Jaipur and have formed a team to locate and arrest him.
