NEW DELHI: Six newborn babies have died after a fire tore through a children´s hospital in the Indian capital, with people charging into the flames to rescue the infants, police said on Sunday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the fire and deaths “heart-rending” in a post on social media.
The fire department was called after flames tore through the hospital in Delhi late on Saturday evening.
But in the crucial first minutes, it was bystanders who spotted the fire and braved the blaze to rescue the newborns.
“All the 12 newborn babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people,” senior police officer Surendra Choudhary said in a statement, but added that by the time they reached medical attention, six were dead.
The blaze in the hospital broke out hours after a separate fire at an amusement park in India´s western state of Gujarat left 27 dead, including four children.
In that fire -- which ripped through a centre with a bowling alley and other games crowded with youngsters -- police warned that many of the corpses were so badly burned it was difficult to identify them.
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations. “Legal action is being taken against the owner of the hospital,” Choudhary said.