Three newborns have died following a fire in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the government-run Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Adilabad, Telangana. The blaze began at about 11:50 pm on Monday, reportedly after a window air-conditioner burst, with an electrical short circuit suspected as the cause. At the time, 27 babies were being treated in incubators in the smoke-filled unit. Staff and parents raised the alarm, pulled infants out, smashed glass panes, and cut power to the ward as a precaution.
A five-day-old baby died at the scene, while two other critically affected infants died later during treatment, including one transferred to a hospital in Nizamabad. Surviving infants were rushed by ambulance to private hospitals, where officials stated most have since stabilised. Firefighters confined the flames to the children’s ward, and the RIMS director oversaw the evacuation alongside staff and ambulance drivers.
District Collector Rajarshi Shah visited the hospital to review the situation and the transfer of the babies. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep anguish over the deaths and ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the electrical failure.