At least 10 newborns have died in a fire at a hospital in the Indian state of Maharashtra. According to the Indian News Agency PTI, 10 newborns have died in a fire at the district hospital in Bhandara district of Maharashtra state.

The fire broke out at the Sick Newborn Care Unit on Saturday morning. Seven infants were rescued safely, according to PTI. Bhandara is about 700 kilometers from Mumbai.The infants died due to suffocation caused by the smoke after the fire. According to Bhandara District SP Basanta Jadhav, the fire brigade reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported and the fire was put out by administrative and police officials. He also said that an investigation has been started into the incident.

Doctors at the hospital told the Times of India that 3-4 babies had died of burns while the rest had died due to oxygen cut off. The dead babies are said to be between 1 and 3 months old.