New Delhi:

A hospital fire in Uttar Pradesh that killed 11 newborns was entirely accidental and not deliberate, a two-member committee investigating the matter has found. There is no criminal conspiracy or negligence in the incident, due to which no FIR has been registered till date, sources said citing the findings of the two-member panel.

The fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the neonatal wards of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, one of the largest government hospitals in the state’s Bundelkhand region.

The committee of Jhansi Commissioner Vipul Dubey and DIG Range Kalanidhi Nathani — which was supposed to submit its report within 24 hours — found that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the switchboard and could not be contained as the sprinklers did not have were installed. in the pediatric ward. Doctors told the committee that water sprinklers are not installed in the NICU ward because of the presence of newborns, the sources said.

At the time, six nurses and other staff and two doctors were present in the NICU ward. One of the nurses suffered burns to her legs while trying to put out the fire.

The switchboard fire had quickly begun to spread to the oxygen concentrator when a paramedic and two others entered with fire extinguishers. But by then, the fire was out of control, sources said, pointing to the committee’s findings. Within minutes, however, firefighters were on the scene.

The detailed report of the inquiry committee is expected soon.

However, a four-member panel under the chairmanship of director general of medical education, Kinjal Singh, has been formed to look into how the short circuit happened and whether the machines in the ward were overloaded, in which case it would be considered massive. negligence.

The four-member committee was tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether any negligence was involved. It will also provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. He is expected to submit his report within a week.