There was no let-up in crib deaths in Bengal as five more infants perished due to the alleged negligence of the medical staff at Malda general hospital on Friday, sources said adding that out of the five, three were aged between one and 15 days.

With Friday’s deaths, the number of children dying recently reached 37 in the past one week and 50 in the past 10 days. Though doctors refused to comment, hospital sources said that most of the children died of bronco-pneumonic conditions and had been brought in a “nearly irretrievable stage from the interior areas of the district.”

The deaths occurred a day after State health director BS Satpathy visited the district and prescribed certain urgent steps. “The Department is looking into the matter, but prima facie the reports received by us do not indicate any negligence on the part of the medical staff,” said State junior Minister of Health Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Meanwhile, sources at the Health Department in Kolkata attributed shortage of staff and facilities to the rising number of infant deaths in the past few months.