Fire kills six newborns at baby hospital in India's capital

Fire department says six more children were rescued and taken to a different hospital, with one on a ventilator

NEW DELHI:

Six newborns have died in a fire at a baby care hospital in India's capital New Delhi, local authorities said on Sunday.

Television footage showed firefighters attempting to douse the fire which broke out late Saturday night and engulfed the hospital in the eastern part of the city.

The fire department told news agency ANI, in which Reuters owns a minority stake, that six more children were rescued and taken to a different hospital, with one on a ventilator. The fire has since been brought under control.

Read also: Fire at entertainment venue kills at least 24 people in western India

The owner of the baby hospital has fled, Delhi police said.

"The causes of the incident are being investigated and whoever is responsible for this negligence will not be spared," Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a post on social media platform X.

The fire occurred a day after 27 people were killed in a fire at an entertainment centre in the western state of Gujarat. Local media have reported that two people have been detained in connection with that incident.