Six newborns die at Bangladesh hospital after air conditioning switched off

A tragic and still-unexplained incident has plunged Bangladesh into mourning after six newborn babies died within hours of each other at a private hospital in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday, prompting urgent investigations by health authorities and police. The newborns, aged between one and three days, were in the post-delivery ward of Ad-Din Hospital, a private facility in the capital Dhaka. The first baby died around 6:00am, and five more died by around 9:30am, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

The sequence of events leading up to the deaths began in the middle of the night. One of the guardians in the post-operative room complained around 2:00am that the babies were feeling cold, following which the air conditioning system in the room was reportedly shut down for around an hour. When the AC was turned on again because it was hot, two children fell ill and were taken to the NICU. Later, they were sent back to the ward. When the children fell ill again around 6am, they were taken to the NICU, put on ventilation, but could not be saved.

The decision to turn off the air conditioning may have proven fatal. Prabhat Chandra Biswas, head of the government's health department, noted that temperatures in Dhaka were around 32 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time, warning that "there is no alternative ventilation once the air conditioner is turned off," describing the atmosphere inside as suffocating.

Investigators have not yet ruled out a mechanical fault. During initial investigation, it was reported that gas may have leaked due to a fault in the AC system in the ward, causing the condition of the children to deteriorate.

Prof Zahid Raihan, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, said a three-member probe committee led by a joint secretary of the health ministry had been formed, with instructions to submit its report within three days.

Inside the ward, grief hung heavy, with devastated families scrambling to collect discharge papers for their deceased children, just one day before the Eid holiday. The tragedy has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for stricter safety standards in Bangladesh's private healthcare sector.