At least 10 children died in a fire that engulfed the children’s ward of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district on Friday night, officials said, with fears that the death toll could rise.

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told reporters that the fire broke out around 10.45 pm in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.

The babies who were on the outside of the NICU were saved, along with some of those on the inside.

“Prima facie there is information about the death of 10 children,” the DM said.

The less critical are admitted to the outer section of the NICU, while the more critical patients are kept in the inner section, Kumar said.

Jhansi Divisional Commissioner Vimal Dubey, who reached the hospital around midnight, told reporters that there were about 30 children in the inner section of the NICU and most of them were rescued.

A fire brigade was rushed to the spot while senior district officers also reached the medical college, Jhansi police said in a brief statement on social media.

A couple from nearby Mahoba district mourned the death of the newborn child. The mother told reporters that the child was born on November 13 at 8 am. “My child was killed in the fire,” the heartbroken mother told reporters.

Footage purported to be from the medical school showed panicked patients and their carers being evacuated, even as several police officers assisted with rescue and relief efforts.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and directed district administration officials to ensure proper treatment to the injured, according to a statement issued in Lucknow.

He also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Chief Minister directed district administration officials and fire engines to reach the spot and speed up the relief work.

Another official statement said that Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, also the State Health Minister, and Principal Health Secretary left for Jhansi on Adityanath’s directions.

The chief minister also directed the divisional commissioner of Jhansi and the deputy inspector general of police to submit a report on the matter within 12 hours, the statement added.

“I am extremely pained by this incident,” Jhansi Lok Sabha MP Anurag Sharma told a news channel, adding that he was not at the station at the moment.

Sadar MLA Ravi Sharma also reached the hospital soon after the incident. PTI