Adults, children and babies: two fires that occurred on Saturday 25 May 2024 in India caused many victims.

In New Delhi, the capital of India, six babies died in a fire that hit a children's hospital on Saturday 25 May.

A dozen newborn babies were taken from the Newborn Care hospital when the disaster struck, but six of them had already died while being treated by doctors, according to police. The seventh of twelve newborns evacuated had died before the fire, which mobilized 14 fire trucks.

Oxygen cylinder explosion

“Legal proceedings initiated against hospital owner”said a local police officer, Surendra Choudhary.

“The fire spread too quickly due to the explosion of the oxygen cylinder”city ​​fire chief Atul Garg told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

Arouse the situation “heartbreaking”Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned against this “the person responsible for this negligence will not escape”. “We all stand in solidarity with those who lost their innocent children in this accident”he added on the social network.

Stuck at the recreation complex

In western India, in Rajkot, twenty-seven people, including four children, died in a fire that broke out on Saturday at an indoor amusement park, including a bowling alley, go-kart track and trampoline.

The four children who died were all under 12 years old, according to police. “The bodies were charred beyond recognition, making their identification difficult”said Radhika Bharai, an Indian police officer.

More than 300 people were in a two-story structure at the TRP amusement park when the fire broke out over the summer holiday weekend, firefighter Ilesh Kher told reporters from Rajkot, in Gujarat state.

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Coming from this state, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “very upset”in messages posted on social networks.

“People were trapped by the collapse of temporary structures near the entrance, making evacuation difficult”, explained firefighter Ilesh Kher. Apart from that, the spread of fire is also caused by the highly flammable nature of the material.

Four people were arrested

Local authorities said they arrested four people “related to the game room to question them”.

On Sunday, the victims' bodies wrapped in white shrouds were lined up before being evacuated.

Survivors described having to break down doors and jump out of windows to escape the flames.

“The area quickly filled with smokePruthvirajsinh Jadeja told the newspaper Indian Express. We tried to get out through the back door, but we couldn't. I saw a beam of light coming from outside. I kicked the metal sheet and the five of us managed to escape by jumping from the first floor. »

He said at least 70 people were on the first floor when the fire broke out.

Fires often occur in India

Fires occur frequently in India due to poor building conditions, overcrowding and lack of compliance with safety regulations.

In February, eleven people lost their lives in a fire that hit a paint factory in the capital New Delhi.

In 2022, at least 27 people died and dozens more were injured after a major fire broke out in a four-story commercial building in the city.

In 2016, more than a hundred people died in a huge explosion caused by fireworks in the southern state of Kerala.