Black Saturday in India as fire kills ten newborn babies

Ten newborn babies died today in a fire at a state-run hospital in western India, officials have said.

There were 17 infants in the unit for sick newborn babies when the fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra state.

Seven infants died due to smoke suffocation, and three from burn injuries, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.

Seven babies were rescued by the nurses and ward staff.

All the infants were aged between a few days and three months, Bhandara district health official Prashant Uike said.

The government has ordered a probe into the incident and a safety audit of all neo-natal care units in the state.

Initial reports indicated that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in one of the incubators.