A ventilator in the NICU on the third floor of the hospital suddenly sparked at 3.15 am, triggering a fire in the unit, an official said.

Amravati: Three newborns were killed when a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a government hospital in Maharashtra’s Amravati district early on Monday, August 24, officials said.A ventilator in the NICU on the third floor of the hospital suddenly sparked at 3.15 am, triggering a fire in the unit, an official said.

After the blaze erupted, doctors, nurses and other staff on duty took the children out of the NICU.

Three of the newborns died, the official said.

Six infants have been admitted to a super speciality hospital, he added.