A tragic fire tore through a children’s hospital in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area late on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of seven newborn babies, police reported on Sunday.

According to senior police officer Surendra Choudhary, twelve newborns were rescued from the New Born Baby Care hospital by local residents and emergency services. Unfortunately, six of the babies died after being brought out of the building, while another was found dead before the fire began.

"The fire spread too fast due to a blast in an oxygen cylinder," said Atul Garg, Director of the Delhi Fire Department, in a statement to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Fourteen fire trucks were deployed to the scene to contain the blaze.

The owner of the hospital has reportedly fled, and legal action is being taken against them, Choudhary added. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his condolences, calling the incident "heartbreaking" and assured that the causes of the fire are being investigated. "Whoever is responsible for this negligence will not be spared," he said on social media.

This incident comes just a day after another tragic fire at an entertainment center in Gujarat resulted in 27 deaths. Local media reports indicate that two individuals have been detained in connection with that incident. (ILKHA)