Bhandara Fire incident: Maha CM orders probe; Harsh Vardhan takes stock of situation

After 10 children were killed in a tragic fire incident in Bhandara District General Hospital's Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at around 2 am on Saturday, CM Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope and directed immediate inquiry into the incident. As per Chief Minister's Office (CMO) statement, CM Uddhav Thackeray has also spoken to the District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) and ordered immediate probe.

Bhandara Fire Incident: Maharashtra govt announces ex-gratia

State health minister Rajesh Tope announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased in the fire accident at the hospital in Bhandara. According to the sources, the state Health Minister is likely to visit the Hospital at 5 pm on Saturday. 

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PM Modi: 'We have lost precious young lives'

Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took to Twitter and stated, "Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives." Hoping for a speedy recovery of the injured children, PM Modi said that his thoughts are with all the families who have lost their children in the fire incident. 

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Besides PM Modi, other political leaders including Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Vice President of India Venkiah Naidu, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and many others have expressed their condolences over the tragic fire incident. 

Union Health Minister dials Rajesh Tope 

Meanwhile, Union Helath Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also dialed his counterpart Rajesh Tope to take stock of the situation and express his condolences. 

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Bhandara fire incident leaves 10 children dead

In a tragic incident, 10 children died after a fire broke out at the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra at 2 am today. The rescue operations are currently underway. The SP of Bhandara district informed that so far 7 to 8 children have been rescued.

Civil Surgeon in Bhandara, Pramod Khandate said, "10 children have died in a fire that broke out at Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Bhandara District General Hospital at 2 am today. 7 children have been rescued so far."

Speaking about the incident, the hospital authorities informed that the 10 children died due to suffocation caused by the fire outbreak. Authorities further informed that when the nurse on duty opened the Intensive Care Unit door and saw a large amount of smoke in the room, he immediately informed the hospital authorities, after which a fire brigade was called.

READ | 10 Children Killed As Massive Fire Breaks Out At A Hospital In Maharashtra's Bhandara