‘I hadn’t even seen his face’: Heartbroken father mourns newborn lost to Amravati NICU fire

Amravati's newborns lost to fire: Heartbroken father speaks of devastating loss

Swapnil Borge, a grieving father, stood outside the mortuary on Monday, his heart shattered. His newborn son had only recently been born, and although he had yet to see his face, Borge distributed sweets among hospital staff, fellow patients, and passersby. He expressed his inability to inform his wife of the tragedy. "I hadn't even seen his face yet," he lamented.

"If she knew, it would be terrible." The newborn was one of three who perished in a fire at the government-run Amravati District Women's Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The fire broke out around 4 am, with officials stating it could have been caused by a faulty ventilator. Thirty-two of the rescued babies were referred to other hospitals, while four remained with their mothers. A committee, headed by Health Commissioner Sanjay Katkar, will investigate the incident within seven days. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pledged action and offered an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families.

The Maharashtra government had provided the ventilators, and a previous minor blast in 2022 had led to their replacement. One of the replaced ventilators reportedly caught fire.

Hospital staff recounted the chaos as they rushed in with torches to rescue babies amid thick smoke. One witness said they could barely see inside the ward, as it was entirely engulfed in flames after the explosion. Some families are struggling to cope, with some moving to their hometowns and avoiding television news. Dr Vinod Pawar, District Surgeon, informed the fire department upon receiving the incident information, but relatives allege that the fire brigade arrived after the fire had been extinguished.