A “faulty alarm system” and “expired fire extinguishers” were discovered following the Jhansi hospital fire accident that killed 10 newborns, according to a media report. A fire broke out at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi friday evening

The families of the victims told News18 that the lives of the 10 newborns could have been saved if the fire extinguishers had worked properly.

Even the one fire safety the alarms did not work properly during the tragic incident, which delayed the evacuation of the hospital, the report states.

According to reports quoting a man, identified as Kripal Singh Rajput, who came to see his grandson, each bed in the children’s ward accommodated six children each, there were 18 beds in total

During his visit to hospitalthe fire broke out, and he saved 25 newborns.

However, the government has denied allegations of safety lapses. UP Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak denied media reports that the medical college had run out of fire extinguishers.

“All the fire fighting equipment in the medical college was completely fine,” PTI reported quoting Pathak. He said a fire safety audit was conducted in February and a drill in June.

Several images of the accident have emerged in which alarmed patients and their caregivers, along with police officials, could be seen helping rescue operations.

The minister confirmed the cause of the fire saying: “The fire broke out due to a short circuit. Health Minister and State Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak reached there in the night. 10 children died there. The rest of the children are safe.”

About 16 children were injured and are being treated at a local hospital, the report said.

CM Yogi Adityanath announced the financial aid of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased babies and ₹50,000 in aid for the families of injured children. He further proposed a high-level inquiry into the incident, the report of which will be provided on Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

“Heart-breaking! The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this case. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss. The local administration under the supervision of the state government is making all possible efforts for relief and rescue,” PM Modi posted on X.