New Delhi | The Congress on Saturday condoled the death of children in a fire at a medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district and demanded a probe into the matter as well as strict legal action against those guilty of negligence.

At least 10 children died in a fire that engulfed the children's ward of the medical college in Jhansi, officials said, as 16 injured children are battled for life on Saturday.

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told reporters that the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College possibly due to an electrical short circuit.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The news of the death of innocent children in the accident that took place at the medical college in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh is extremely painful. Our deepest condolences to the families of all the children who died in this heartbreaking accident. May god give their families the strength to bear this sorrow." "We demand from the government that the causes of this accident be investigated and strict legal action should be taken against whoever is guilty of such negligence," he said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the shocking news has come from Jhansi's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, where 10 children have died due to a fire in the intensive care unit for newborns.

"Words of grief and condolence are futile in this time of great tragedy. We stand with the families and parents in this difficult situation," she said in a her post in Hindi on X.