India: Newborns killed in fire at Delhi hospital after 'chain of explosions' | World News

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister, called the fire “heartbreaking” and said whoever was responsible for the cause – believed to be triggered by exploding oxygen tanks – “will not be spared”.

At least six newborns have died after a fire broke out at a children's hospital in India, according to reports.

Firefighters said they transported 12 newborns out of the eastern district center of Vivek Vihar. New Delhi late Saturday night, but six of them died from smoke inhalation.

Another infant died on Sunday morning, according to local media. Reports differ on whether six or seven infants have been killed so far.

Five others survived and are being treated at a nearby hospital, Delhi fire chief Atul Garg said.

The fire, which broke out on the first floor of the hospital, was extinguished after about an hour.

Mr Garg told news agency ANI that an oxygen cylinder explosion was likely the cause of the fire, but there was no official confirmation.

“It was a very difficult operation,” he said, according to India Today.

“We formed two teams. One team started fighting the fire because there was a cylinder blast. You could say it was a chain of cylinder blasts.

“We also had to rescue ourselves. We also launched rescue operations for the babies. Unfortunately, we could not save all the children… It is an unfortunate incident.”

Read more on Sky News:
DIY store in Kharkiv hit by Russian airstrikes
More than 4,000 people affected by landslide

The hospital owner has fled, according to Delhi Police.

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, called the fire “heartbreaking”, adding that “the causes of the incident are being investigated and whoever is responsible for this negligence will not be spared” .

Earlier Saturday, at least 27 people were killed in a fire at a crowded amusement park in the city of Rajkot in the western Indian state of Gujarat.