SYLHET, Bangladesh (AP) " Ten infants and young children died in a single night in an overcrowded state-run hospital in northeastern Bangladesh, prompting authorities to investigate whether staff negligence was involved, officials said Tuesday.
The children, ranging in age from 1 day to 3 1/2 years old, had been admitted with a variety of ailments, including malnutrition, infections and pneumonia, said Abdus Salam, deputy director of M.A.G. Osmani Medical College and Hospital in the city of Sylhet. The deaths occurred between 8 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Salam said the deaths were "natural," but relatives said negligence by doctors and nurses in the overcrowded facility were to blame.
The hospital has a capacity of 500 beds, but treats up to 1,800 patients a day, said Abdus Sabur Mia, the hospital's director.
"In a facility like this, many die naturally every day. It's normal," Mia said. "But we will look into the cases of the children's deaths seriously."