Bhandara (Maharashtra), Jan 9 (TIWN) In a shocking tragedy, at least 10 new-born infants were suffocated in a fire that erupted in the children's ward of a government hospital in Maharashtra's Bhandara district early on Saturday morning, officials said.

Seven infants were rescued from the blaze before firefighters arrived at the Bhandara District Hospital in the western state of Maharashtra.  India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as a "heart-wrenching tragedy".  The cause of the fire is not yet known and an investigation is under way.  The fire started at about 02:00 local time (20:30 GMT Friday), according to hospital officials.