Dhaka: Six newborns died within hours at a post-operative ward of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in central Dhaka on Wednesday, prompting a government investigation into what health officials described as a suspected technical failure.

According to Anadolu Agency, the infants, aged one to three days, died between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the post-delivery ward of the hospital in the Maghbazar area. Officials from Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported the incident.

Health officials noted that guardians in the ward complained overnight about the room's excessive coldness, leading to the air-conditioning system being turned off for about an hour. One infant developed complications and was moved to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being returned to the ward. By early morning, all six babies had fallen critically ill and were shifted back to intensive care.

'We do not think the sudden deaths of six children occurred due to treatment complications,' DGHS Additional Director General Prof. Zahid Raihan told reporters. 'We suspect some technical issue or fault may have been responsible.'

DGHS Director General Prof. Pravath Chandra Biswas mentioned that investigators found 'a suffocating environment' inside the ward and highlighted the lack of alternative ventilation if the AC system stopped functioning.

Police, the Criminal Investigation Department, and a government-appointed probe committee are investigating the incident. Authorities stated that the panel has been instructed to submit its findings within 72 hours.