A man carries a child out from the hospital after a fire broke out in the newborn care unit in Bhopal, India, on Monday. AP

A fire swept through a newborn care unit in a hospital in central India, killing four infants, officials said.

The fire broke out on Monday. A total of 40 children were in the special ward of the hospital at the time of the incident. Of these four died, and the fire officials along with the hospital staff evacuated 36 to safety, said Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang.

An investigation was ordered into the fire that occurred Monday night at the Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital in Bhopal, said Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the chief minister in Madhya Pradesh state.

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A fire brigade official told IANS that the department received information about the fire around 10.30pm on Monday, after which nearly 12 firefighting engines were rushed to the spot immediately.

Picture used for illustrative purposes only.

There were 40 children in total in the unit, out of which 36 have been rescued, said Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang. He said he arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes after the incident and that everything was now under control.

"The untimely death of children from the world is an unbearable pain,” Chauhan said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the families affected.

While an inquiry is still ongoing, authorities told the Press Trust of India news agency that a short circuit may have caused the fire.

Fatal building fires are not uncommon in India, where poor maintenance and lack of proper firefighting equipment often lead to deaths.