KEMEROVO, January 13. /TASS/. Nine newborns have died in a maternity hospital in the town of Novokuznetsk in the Kemerovo Region over the New Year holidays, regional Health Minister Andrey Tarasov confirmed.

"The situation did occur. As of now, we are investigating the circumstances of the incident. A Health Ministry commission has been on-site to assess the situation and ensure it does not happen again. We will provide the official information once the investigation is completed," he said.

Earlier, it was reported that at least six newborns died in one of the two Novokuznetsk maternity hospitals. On Tuesday, the hospital announced its temporary closure due to the local epidemiological situation and the rising incidence of respiratory infections.

The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Russia’s sanitary watchdog) and the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (the healthcare watchdog) have already inspected the maternity hospital to verify if it "complied with legislation on healthcare, the protection of minors’ rights, and epidemiological norms and requirements." Following the inspection, local investigators launched a probe into the incident under Russian Criminal Code Article 293 (Negligence).