BREAKING NEWS

Ten babies die in fire at Indian hospital's neonatal unit

Ten newborn babies died from burns and suffocation after a fire swept through a neonatal intensive care unit in northern India, a government official said on Saturday.

The blaze broke out late on Friday at the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi district about 285 km (180 miles) southwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Emergency responders rescued 38 newborns from the ward, which housed 49 infants at the time of the incident, said state Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.

"Seventeen of the injured are receiving treatment in different wings and some private hospitals," Pathak told reporters in Jhansi. Seven of the deceased infants have been identified, while the authorities are working to identify the remaining three, he said.

One infant remains missing, said a government official who asked not to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to media.