Hyderabad, Sep 22 (IANS): Two newborns died in a fire that broke out at the RIMS Hospital in Adilabad town late on Monday night.
The fire broke out around midnight in the Special Neonatal Care Unit at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).
Emergency teams responded swiftly to evacuate 25 children. However, some of them have taken ill due to the smoke and were shifted to private hospitals. The condition of four of them is stated to be critical.
A fire tender rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control. Preliminary investigation by authorities indicate that the fire broke out after a blast in the Air Conditioner.
Adilabad district Collector Rajarshi Shah and Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan rushed to the scene and supervised the rescue and relief operation.
The AC blast triggered panic among patients and their attendants in the district headquarters hospital.
Hospital superintendent along with the staff, including ambulance drivers and locals, rushed to the neonatal ward. They broke the windows to rescue newborns.
The entire ward was filled with smoke which resulted in newborns developing complications.
According to the District Collector, two newborns who were on ventilator died in the incident. He said the condition of others was stable.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed anguish over the fire accident that occurred in the SNCU ward of RIMS Hospital, Adilabad.
He described the death of two infants in the incident as deeply distressing and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to their families.
He directed officials to ensure best medical care to the infants undergoing treatment and to continuously monitor their health condition.
The Chief Minister ordered an enquiry into the causes of the incident and the submission of a report. He directed that safety measures be strengthened across all hospitals to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao expressed shock over the incident.
“Shocked and anguished to learn about the fire accident at Special Newborn Care Unit at RIMS Adilabad. One infant has died and more than 20 kids also suffered in the accident. My prayers for the well being of all the little ones,” he posted on ‘X’.
