Jhansi Hospital Fire: Yakoob Mansuri, a young man in his 20s, became a hero on Friday night for saving other people’s children. Tragically, his own newborn twin daughters will never know him.
For a week, Yakoob, a food vendor from Hamirpur, had been staying outside the neonatal intensive care unit of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, where his twin daughters were admitted. He and his wife, Nazma, took turns keeping vigil over the infants.
When a fire broke out on Friday night, Yakoob shattered a window and rushed into the unit to rescue as many babies as possible. Sadly, his daughters were not among the survivors. Their bodies were identified the following day. Nazma and Yakoob spent the day outside the hospital, overwhelmed with grief and disbelief.
Similarly, Sanjana Kumari, who had just given birth to her first child, mourned a loss no one should ever have to endure. “My baby was burned to death in front of my eyes and I just watched helplessly. The hospital’s negligence destroyed my dreams. I couldn’t even hold my child,” she said, the pain still raw.
Santoshi Devi from Jalaun brought her baby to the hospital after complications during delivery. But when the fire broke out, he was lost in the chaos. His body was identified on Saturday. “I heard screams, but my baby was gone,” she said.
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Hospital staff did not act in time, say kids’ kin
She gave birth just 11 days ago to a child she no longer has. “I heard noises and ran, but how could I save my child? No one told us what was happening,” she said.
Sonu and Sanjana, from Lalitpur, spoke of their premature son, who was being treated for respiratory issues. “We were told not to feed him so we rested a while. By the time we got back to the hospital, the fire had ravaged the unit,” Sanjana said. “We did everything we could, but in the end, he was taken from us,” said Sonu. His brother, Parsuram, said, “We sold everything we had, and took loans, all for the hope that our son would survive.”
Niranjan Maharaj from Lalitpur identified his grandchild’s body by the name tag. “He was burned to death in the fire,” he said, alleging the hospital staff didn’t act in time.
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