Nurse lit a matchstick and then…: Eyewitness recounts Jhansi hospital horror

While a short circuit is believed to be behind the massive blaze that engulfed a hospital in Jhansi, killing 10 newborns, an eyewitness alleged that a nurse’s negligence was behind the tragedy.

However, a clearer picture will emerge of what led to the fire at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College after a probe report is submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday evening.

Bhagwan Das, a resident of Hamirpur, was in the ward at the time of the incident as his son was admitted there. Das claimed that a nurse lit a matchstick while attempting to connect the pipe of an oxygen cylinder. The ward, being an oxygen-rich environment, quickly became a tinderbox. Oxygen is highly inflammable, and it caused the entire ward to erupt in flames almost instantly, Das said.

“As soon as the match was lit, the whole ward caught fire,” Das recounted. Amid the chaos, Das quickly wrapped 3–4 children with a cloth that was around his neck and carried them to safety. He saved some more children with the help of other people.

The fire, which broke out in the ward around 10.30 pm on Friday, led to a stampede-like situation in the hospital. Expired fire extinguishers were found in the ward and safety alarms also did not go off, delaying the evacuation.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said, prima facie, the fire was caused due to a short circuit inside the oxygen concentrator. “The cause of the fire will be probed… if any lapses are found, those who would be responsible, strict action will be taken against them and no one will be spared,” Pathak said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased children and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the incident heart-wrenching, said an additional Rs 2 lakh each would be provided to the families of the deceased.