Fire at India hospital ward kills at least 10 newborn babies

Ten newborn babies have been killed in a fire at a hospital in India as staff members rushed to evacuate the ward in the early hours of Saturday, Report mentions, citing ANI News.

Seven infants were rescued from the blaze before firefighters arrived at the Bhandara District Hospital in Maharashtra's western state.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as a "heart-wrenching tragedy."

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and an investigation is underway.

The fire started at about 02:00 local time (20:30 GMT Friday), according to hospital officials.

Rescue efforts were hampered by continuous blasts inside the ward, local media report. One nurse on duty said she alerted the authorities after seeing smoke streaming out of the hospital's Newborn Care Unit.