Delhi hospital fire: Bodies of five newborns handed over to families after post-mortem

New Delhi: Bodies of five of the seven newborns killed in an east Delhi neonatal hospital fire have been handed over to their families after post-mortem, police said on Monday.

The bodies of the other two newborns will be handed over after autopsy on Monday, an officer said.

The police said one newborn was claimed to have died hours before the fire broke out but that can be verified after the autopsy.

The private neonatal hospital in the Vivek Vihar area where a blaze killed the seven newborns and injured five others was operating despite the expiry of its licence. It also did not have qualified doctors and no clearance from the Fire department.

The police have arrested Dr Naveen Khichi, the hospital's owner, and Dr Aaksh -- who was on duty at the time of the fire late on Saturday.

Both the arrested accused will be produced in a Karkardoma court in the afternoon. The police may seek their custody for further interrogations, the officer said.

Forensic teams and an inspector from the Electricity department will visit the spot on Monday to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, the police said.