Ten newborns have been killed in a massive fire that struck a hospital's maternity ward in Maharashtra, India's richest state, on Saturday (local time).
"The fire broke out at 2am today," said Pramod Khandate, a civil surgeon at Bhandara District General Hospital in the western state.
Seven of the 17 children in the Sick Newborn Care Unit were rescued, Khandate told Reuters partner ANI.
Local man Rajkumar Dzhokhar witnessed the disaster. He told ANI the fire was "huge" and hindered efforts to enter the ward.
"Our eyes were burning. We weren't able to see anything," he said. "Then we came down and went back up using the firefighters' ladder, broke down the door, and after breaking the door, we were able to save seven."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thakre has ordered a probe into the incident. It's not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
"Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. "My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible."
A number of other high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, have also expressed their grief.
Reuters
