Six newborns died at Ad‑Din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Moghbazar after breathing difficulties developed when the air‑conditioner was turned off for about an hour, the hospital authorities said.
Police suspect the incident may have been caused by the air-conditioning gas leak or another mechanical fault. Ramna Police said they are investigating the matter.
DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed told Times of Bangladesh that 11 mothers and six babies were in the post‑operative room when one mother, feeling cold, requested the AC be turned off.
A nurse switched it off for about an hour. When the AC was restarted, two infants’ conditions deteriorated, followed soon after by four more. All six died while under treatment.
Hospital authorities have formed a committee to investigate the deaths. The CID crime scene unit is collecting evidence, while Commissioner Mosleh Uddin and senior police officials remain at the site.
Ramna Division Assistant Commissioner Md Mazharul Islam confirmed the deaths occurred early Wednesday.
Sheikh Zahidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Ramna Division, said, “The exact cause of deaths is not yet known. Police are at the scene.”
The hospital’s Director General (Hospitals and Nursing) Nahid Yasmin said the deaths were due to breathing problems after the AC was turned off, not from a gas leak.
She said, mothers and babies are kept in the ward after caesarean deliveries, with one attendant allowed to stay with them. As the ward is air‑conditioned, patients and relatives often feel cold and request nurses to switch off the AC, which happens frequently, she added.
When two infants suddenly fell ill after 3am, they were taken to the hospital’s neonatal ICU. Doctors there examined them and reported the babies were stable, advising they be returned to the ward.
