Newborn dies after alleged incubator fire at Dhaka's Royal Care Hospital

A newborn who suffered severe burns after an incubator allegedly overheated and caught fire at Royal Care and Surgical Hospital in Dhaka has died.

The infant died around 3pm on Wednesday in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for a postmortem examination.

Following the child's death, the father, Golam Rabbani, filed a case against Royal Care Hospital with Chawkbazar Police Station.

The infant was born early on Saturday morning in Ward 212 at DMCH to Rabbani and Shapla, a couple from Kahalu Upazila in Bogura.

After the newborn developed breathing difficulties shortly after birth, doctors advised immediate admission to the NICU.

Unable to secure a bed at DMCH, the family transferred the infant to Royal Care Hospital in Chankharpul.

According to Rabbani's complaint, he and his nephew Rezaul were completing the admission paperwork when they suddenly heard screams.

They rushed towards the NICU and found that the incubator holding the child had overheated and caught fire, leaving the child severely burnt, he alleged.

Relatives subsequently took the infant to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery before transferring the infant back to the NICU at DMCH.

Royal Care Hospital authorities described the incident as accidental, saying an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire.

Dayal Hari Bhowmik, a sub-inspector at Chawkbazar Police Station, said: "The family has filed a case against the hospital, and we are investigating the matter."

He added that the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the postmortem report.