A major fire broke out at RIMS Hospital in Adilabad district headquarters late Monday night. The fire started in the SNCU ward due to a short circuit, during which the AC unit in the children’s ward suddenly exploded, filling the entire ward with dense smoke. Amid the confusion over what was happening, panicked parents ran outside with their infants. Officials said a total of 28 children were in the ward at the time of the incident.
Reports indicate that a five-day-old infant from Shantinagar in Ichoda mandal of Adilabad district died in the incident, along with one other infant. Several others suffered health issues due to the dense smoke. Fire personnel reached the spot immediately upon receiving information and began rescue operations. Hospital staff swiftly cut off power supply to the ward and shifted the infants to an adjacent ward.
All 28 affected children were shifted to a nearby private hospital, with reports indicating that the condition of two of them remains critical. As soon as news of the incident broke, District Collector Rajarshi Shah and SP Akhil Mahajan reached the hospital to review the situation. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed grief over the deaths and directed officials to ensure the best possible medical care for the affected children, ordering a detailed inquiry into the cause of the fire and a fire safety audit across all hospitals in the state. Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.