India, Sept. 10 -- The state health department has ordered the suspension of senior health department officials found prima facie responsible for supervisory lapses in the fire that claimed the lives of three newborn babies in a government hospital at Amravati on August 24.

Suspension proceedings have been initiated after a high-level inquiry into the blaze submitted its report to the state government last week. The blaze was triggered by a ventilator that caught fire in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the District Women's Hospital. While three newborns died, 36 infants were shifted to other hospitals.

The inquiry was conducted by a panel of 11 persons headed by health commissioner Sanjay Katkar. According to the committee's rep...