Eleven newborn babies die in fire at hospital in Senegal

Eleven newborn babies have died in a fire at the neonatal section of a hospital in Senegal

The fire occurred in the town of Tivaouane around 120km (74.56 miles) east of the capital Dakar.

“I have just learned with pain and consternation the death of 11 newborn babies in the fire that occurred in the neonatology department of the Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh hospital in Tivaouane,” Senegal president Macky Sall said in a tweet.

“To their mothers and their families, I express my deepest sympathy,” Mr Sall, who is on a state visit in Angola, said.

Senegal's health minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, said on private Senegalese television TFM that "according to preliminary investigation, a short circuit triggered the fire".

Mr Sarr, who is in Geneva for the World Health Assembly, said he would cut short the trip and return to Senegal immediately.

Demba Diop Sy, the mayor of Tivaouane, one of Senegal’s holy cities and a transport hub, said police and fire service were still at the hospital, but did not provide further details. — Reuters

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