New Delhi, India: At least three infants were killed and several staff members suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out at the Special Newborn Care Unit of a hospital in the southern Indian state of Telangana, officials said Tuesday.
The fire broke out on Monday night at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences Government Hospital in Adilabad district, about 301 km north of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.
Officials said 28 children were safely evacuated from the hospital's SNCU.
"The fire broke out around 11:50pm local time and immediately filled the ward with flames and thick smoke. Parents and hospital staff broke the ward's glass panes to rescue the babies as thick smoke engulfed the incubators," a local government official said.
The official said several hospital staff members, including two nurses, suffered burn injuries while rescuing the infants from the ward amid flames.
Preliminary investigations indicate that an electrical short circuit involving an air conditioner may have triggered the blaze.
