Srinagar: At least twelve newborn babies died of unknown causes in an emergency Hospital in northern Panshir province of Afghanistan, the local officials said.

Media reports said the newborns, which were in critical condition and on antibiotic therapy, passed away at the hospital’s neonatal intensive-care unit due to apparent sepsis a serious complication of an infection.

Emergency said it immediately informed the Afghan health authorities regarding the ongoing outbreak and tasked a private laboratory in the capital, Kabul, to carry out microbiological tests.

The group said it will communicate the results of the tests as soon as they are available.

Dejan Panic, Emergency’s program coordinator for Afghanistan, told the DPA news agency that the 12 babies all experienced the same symptoms.

In the meantime, the state media reported that an investigation is underway to ascertain the main cause involved in the mysterious deaths of the newborns.