Families of newborns desperate for answers after Jhansi Medical College NICU blaze claims infants’ lives

JHANSI (Uttar Pradesh): Parents and relatives of newborns are desperate for answers and are seeking accountability as they search for their missing children after a blaze broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College and claimed the lives of several infants.

The fire, which occurred late on Friday night, engulfed the NICU where more than 50 newborns were being treated. The tragic incident has left grieving families scrambling for information, many of whom are still uncertain about the fate of their babies.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: A massive fire broke out at the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College. Many children feared dead. Rescue operations underway. More details awaited.

(Visuals from outside Jhansi Medical College) pic.twitter.com/e8uiivyPk3

— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2024

Rani Sen, a resident of Narayan Bagh in Jhansi, is the aunt of a baby who was in the NICU at the time of the fire. She has been searching for answers ever since the incident. “It is being said my child is dead, but no one has told me on what basis”, she said, adding, “After the fire, they were saying, ‘Go in and take your children’. But by then, many of the children had already died in the fire”.

Rani further questioned the identification process used by the hospital. “They say it’s based on the tags on the children. If the identification is based on tags, what about the child I found who had no tag? I admitted that child under my name to Dr Kuldeep Trivedi’s care in the ICU, and he is safe now. But that child is not mine. I informed them of this as well”.

Rani demanded proof of her baby’s death and called for DNA tests to identify the victims. “If I hadn’t told them I had someone else’s child, would they even know it wasn’t mine?” she inquired. She also recounted how the hospital had previously denied her access to her child, citing concerns about potential infection.

“For 3-4 days, my child was admitted there. They never allowed us to see the child or go inside. They kept saying the child might get an infection. And now they’ve declared my child dead. How can I believe this?” she asked. Rani urged the authorities to bring all surviving children together for identification. “All the children in the hospital should be brought in and parents should be allowed to identify their own children. If anyone can’t identify their child, then a DNA test should be done”, she said.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Visuals from Jhansi Medical College, where a massive fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) last night.

The fire claimed the lives of 10 newborns pic.twitter.com/IL8gjieJOK

— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2024

Santoshi, another mother from Parsaha village in Mahoba district, is still searching for her 10-day-old baby who was in the NICU. She described the panic and helplessness she felt during the fire. “I don’t know where my child is. When the fire broke out, I couldn’t go inside to rescue my baby. How could I? When no one was able to get inside, how could anyone hand me my baby? Everyone was running around in panic”, she said.

Santoshi added, “There were so many babies inside when the fire broke out, and it seems the babies didn’t survive. Some babies couldn’t be rescued. It’s unclear if they were burned or saved. No one knows what happened to the children. This was my first baby”.

She also said the hospital had not allowed her to see her child before the fire. “No, they didn’t show me my child. I went there, but nothing happened. After the fire, I couldn’t even look for my baby properly. I searched, but I didn’t find him”, she said.

A grandmother from Rajgarh, whose 20-25-day-old grandchild was in the NICU, described the chaos during the fire. “My child was in the ICU, and as soon as the fire broke out, everyone rushed. The nurses were pushing people out, not allowing anyone to go inside. When people somehow managed to get inside, whoever could grab a child did so. Some broke in through the windows. My child hasn’t been found yet”, she said.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Visuals from Jhansi Medical College, where a massive fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) last night.

The fire claimed the lives of 10 newborns pic.twitter.com/0H4FVbcbB3

— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2024

Another grieving mother, a resident of Lalitpur, shared her ordeal. She said, “Our newborn was admitted here for one month. Yesterday, there was an operation, and after that, the baby was admitted there (NICU)”. She further stated, “Around 10 pm, the fire broke out. We rushed to take out the baby, but we were stopped. Later, we couldn’t find the baby though we looked for a long time. Eventually, we were told that the baby died in the fire”. (ANI)