Delhi children hospital fire heart-rending, guilty won't be spared: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Pic/PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the east Delhi children hospital fire which left seven newborns dead is heart-rending and warned that those responsible for negligence will not be spared, reported news agency PTI.

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also said strictest punishment will be given to those found negligent or involved in any wrongdoing, reported PTI.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said the government stood with those who lost their children in the Delhi children hospital fire incident in Vivek Vihar, and added the administration was ensuring proper treatment to the injured.

He said the reasons behind the fire were being probed and those found negligent will not be spared.

A massive fire broke out at a private children's hospital in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar, leaving seven newborns dead, officials said on Sunday.

The officials of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said the blaze broke out at the Baby Care New Born Hospital at around 11:30 pm on Saturday and soon spread to two other adjacent buildings.

Sixteen fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, Divisional Fire Officer Rajendra Atwal said.

Oxygen cylinders kept in the two-storey building exploded due to which the adjacent buildings were damaged, he said.

Another fire official said two boutiques, a portion of IndusInd Bank operating from an adjacent building and a shop on the ground floor were also damaged besides an ambulance and a scooty parked outside the building.

Condoling the death of children, President Droupadi Murmu prayed for strength to the bereaved parents.

(With inputs from PTI)