At least 10 infants have died after a fire broke out at a neonatal intensive care unit in Jhansi, northern India, a state government official said today.

The fire broke out at around 22:30 (local time; 19:00 Greek time) at the Maharani Laxmibai University Hospital in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

“Ten children unfortunately died,” the second-in-command of the state government in Uttar Pradesh, Brajes Pathak, told reporters. “Seven of the bodies have been identified” and three more victims remain to be identified, he added.

Another sixteen newborns are in critical condition after the fire, according to a report published in its digital edition by the Indian newspaper Times Now.

According to a report by the NDTV network, there were 54 babies in the neonatal intensive care unit when the fire broke out, which was attributed to a short circuit.

The deaths of the newborns are “heartbreaking,” India’s federal Prime Minister Narendra Modi said via X, offering his “heartfelt condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this story.” “I pray that God gives them the strength to bear this tremendous loss,” he added.

Fires are tragically common in India due to poor construction, overcrowding and lack of safety regulations.