At least seven newborn babies were killed after a massive fire broke out at New Born Baby Care Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar on Saturday night. According to officials, as many as 12 babies were rescued, out of which six died, while one died before the fire call was made.

“Cylinders blast when the fire broke out. It’s unclear whether the fire broke out due to the cylinder blast or vice-versa. Owners of this centre were trading cylinders. They used to fill small cylinders from the bigger ones. The owners and management of this centre shared this concern. We had complained to local authorities but no action was taken,” said a local who did not wish to be identified. 

According to Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, the oxygen cylinder blasts led to a fire quickly spreading in the building.