Sonia, Rahul express pain at UP child deaths

New Delhi, Aug 11: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday expressed her deep shock at the tragic death of 30 ailing children at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur due to alleged shortage of oxygen and said she was pained beyond words by the tragedy.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi also expressed his pain and blamed the state's BJP government was responsible for the tragedy.

In her statement, Sonia Gandhi said that her heart goes out to the families of the innocent children who fell prey to "gross negligence and incorrigible misconduct on the part of the authorities".

She called upon the Uttar Pradesh government to take immediate cognizance of the crime and bring to book those responsible and asked Congress workers to provide relief to the families of the victims.



Rahul Gandhi said the BJP government must punish the guilty.

"Deeply pained. My thoughts are with the families of the victims. BJP government is responsible and should punish the negligent who caused this tragedy," he said in a tweet.

At least 30 children died in the state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, the parliamentary constituency of Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in the last two days, an official said Friday. The government however said that only seven had died and a probe has been ordered.