DHAKA — Bangladeshi health authorities have launched an urgent investigation after six newborn babies died within hours of each other at a private hospital in the capital Dhaka, triggering nationwide concern over hospital safety standards and neonatal care conditions.
The deaths occurred early Wednesday, May 27, at Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in the city’s Moghbazar area. The infants, all between one and three days old, were being kept in the hospital’s post-delivery ward alongside their mothers when they suddenly fell critically ill.
Hospital authorities said the exact cause of the deaths had not yet been confirmed. However, relatives of the deceased newborns alleged that a gas leak linked to the ward’s air-conditioning system may have caused the tragedy. Police, health officials and investigators from Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) later visited the hospital to examine the ward and collect evidence.
The incident has shocked Bangladesh during the Eid-ul-Azha holiday period, when hospitals across the country are already under pressure from seasonal patient loads and an ongoing measles outbreak that has strained pediatric healthcare services nationwide.
Professor Dr. Nahida Yasmin, director general for hospitals and nursing at Ad-Din Hospital, confirmed the deaths to reporters and later provided details during a press briefing at the hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
“There were 11 mothers and six newborn babies in the ward where the incident occurred,” Dr. Nahida told journalists in Dhaka on May 27. “This is our post-delivery ward, where mothers stay after childbirth with their babies and one accompanying family member.”
According to Dr. Nahida, the babies had initially appeared healthy after delivery. She said the ward was air-conditioned and that mothers complained during the night that the room had become excessively cold.
“During the night, some mothers asked the nurses on duty to turn off the air conditioning because they felt cold,” she said. “Around 3:00 a.m., two babies suddenly became ill and were taken to the NICU. Doctors examined them and said they were stable, so they were brought back to the ward.”
She said the situation deteriorated rapidly several hours later.
“At around 6:00 a.m., the mothers again informed nurses that the babies appeared unwell. All six newborns were then taken to the NICU,” Dr. Nahida said. “Two babies died while being taken there. The remaining four were placed on ventilator support, and every effort was made to save them, but unfortunately they could not be revived.”
When reporters asked whether the simultaneous deaths could have been caused by a technical malfunction or gas leakage, Dr. Nahida declined to speculate before the investigation was completed.
Health officials later acknowledged that investigators were examining whether a failure in the ward’s cooling or ventilation system contributed to the deaths.
Professor Prabhat Chandra Biswas, director general of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told reporters after visiting the hospital that the ward had no alternative ventilation system if the air conditioner stopped functioning.
“Early this morning, a suffocating environment was found in this room, possibly due to complications related to the air-conditioning system or some other reason,” he said on May 27 while speaking to journalists at the hospital. “The AC system was arranged in such a way that if it stopped functioning, there was no alternative ventilation arrangement.”
He added that the government would take strict action if negligence or technical failures were identified.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the formation of a three-member investigation committee to determine the cause of the deaths. The committee was instructed to submit its findings within three days.
According to an official ministry order signed by Deputy Secretary Dr. Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman on May 27, the panel is headed by a joint secretary from the ministry’s private healthcare management division. Additional members include officials from the Directorate General of Health Services and its legal branch.
The committee has been tasked with identifying the cause of the deaths and recommending preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain Bakul said the government had ordered a report within 72 hours and warned that legal action would follow if the hospital was found responsible.
Speaking to journalists after Eid prayers at the Manohardi Government Model Pilot High School Eidgah in Narsingdi district on Thursday morning, May 28, the minister described the incident as “deeply painful.”
“On this joyous Eid day, we received the tragic news of newborn deaths at Ad-Din Hospital,” the minister said. “It appears there may have been a gas leakage after the ward’s air conditioning was turned off at the request of one of the mothers. The matter is extremely unfortunate.”
He said a probe committee had been formed immediately after the government learned of the incident.
“We have instructed the committee to submit its report within 72 hours. Once the report is received, all necessary legal action will be taken against the hospital if wrongdoing is found,” he said.
The deaths also occurred against the backdrop of a major measles outbreak in Bangladesh that has placed enormous strain on hospitals and pediatric units across the country. Reuters reported last week that at least 86 children had died from confirmed measles infections in 2026, while more than 426 additional suspected deaths were under review. Health authorities have identified more than 62,000 suspected cases nationwide.
During his remarks after Eid prayers, the health minister referenced the outbreak and said the government had expanded vaccination campaigns to prevent further child deaths.
“If we had failed to contain measles, thousands of children could have died,” he said. “We have sufficient vaccines in hand, and every child will be brought under vaccination coverage.”
Families of the deceased infants remained devastated as investigators worked inside the hospital. Witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion in the ward as the babies suddenly became critically ill one after another.
AFP quoted a grieving grandmother, identified as Janu, as saying her granddaughter had appeared healthy just hours earlier.
“My granddaughter was perfectly okay until last night,” she said while holding the baby’s shrouded body outside the hospital on May 27. “The babies turned blue one after another.”
The deaths have renewed scrutiny of safety conditions inside private hospitals in Bangladesh, particularly regarding neonatal care, emergency ventilation systems and technical maintenance standards in intensive care and maternity wards.
Police officials said the CID and forensic experts were examining whether there had been any malfunction involving the air-conditioning system or electrical equipment.
Until the investigation is complete, authorities have not officially confirmed what caused the six newborns to die within such a short period.
