Hospital authorities said that 10 new born infants were placed in the unit for treatment of jaundice. "It seems that an electric short circuit was the reason behind the incident that left 5 infants dead and five others critically injured", they said.

DSP Manjit Brar who reached the spot told The Indian Express that out of the dead, three children were only five days old while the other two were ten days old. "We have shifted one critically injured baby to Chandigarh while others are being taken care in the other wards of the hospital", he said.

According to eye witnesses, the fire broke out in the wee hours of Saturday and within minutes left the entire incubator and phototherapy unit into ashes. "The fire broke out at around 3 am when very few people were around. Relatives of some other patients carried out the rescue operation", they told The Indian Express.

"I saw huge flames erupting from the department and I took my blanket and carried three children in the first go. Another attendant of a patient also helped me", said Surjit Singh from village Nehru Khurd. "We took two more children out but could not save the other five as by then the flames had charred them", he added.

Meanwhile heart rending scenes were witnessed at the hospital as the doctors failed to inform or console anxious relatives of the victims in any way.