Key Points
Lucknow, India (AP) A fire tore through a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital in northern India, killing 10 newborn babies and injuring 16 others, authorities said.. ..
The fire occurred late Friday at a hospital in Jhansi city, Uttar Pradesh state..
Officials said the blaze spread quickly through the ward, where 55 infants were being treated..
If the safety alarm had worked, we could have acted sooner and saved more lives, said Naresh Kumar, a parent who lost his baby.. . Akhtar Hussain, whose son was rescued and is receiving treatment in an adjacent ward, agreed that the tragedy could have been prevented if the hospital had better safety protocols.. . Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents..
In May, at least six newborn babies died in a fire at a childrens hospital in New Delhi, three years after a hospital fire in the western state of Maharashtra killed 10 newborns.. ..
