Seven newborn babies died in a fire at a hospital in India late on Saturday.
The fire broke out at the New Born Baby Care Hospital at around 11:30 p.m. There were 12 babies in the unit, according to police.
People reportedly dashed into the flames to save the infants. They were all evacuated but several later died.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the fire "extremely heartbreaking" in an X post.
Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the "causes of the incident are being investigated and whoever is responsible for this negligence will not be spared."
The Delhi police on Sunday arrested the owner of the hospital after he had fled the scene, the Indian Express reported. It was not immediately clear what charges he might face.
It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the fire, the Associated Press reported. The cause was unknown.
दिल्ली में बेबी केयर अस्पताल में आग लगने से कई नवजात बच्चों की मृत्यु का समाचार अत्यंत हृदयविदारक है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 26, 2024
सभी शोकाकुल माता-पिता और परिजनों को मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं। घायल बच्चों के जल्द से जल्द स्वस्थ और सकुशल होने की आशा करता हूं।
Rescue efforts were hampered because the building had a single staircase and no fire escape, the BBC reported.
Deadly fires are common in India. This weekend at least 27 people died in a fire at an indoor amusement park.
