(2nd LD) 4 newborns die in 2 hours at university hospital

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in 4th para)

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- Four newborns died over a two-hour period at a local university hospital the previous night, and police are investigating, officials said Sunday.

The four were in incubators at the intensive care unit for infants at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Mokdong in western Seoul when they died between 9:31 p.m. and 10:53 p.m. on Saturday, police said.

Police said they received a call from the hospital alerting them that four babies were receiving CPR treatment. The four had already died by the time police arrived at the hospital, officials said.

A total of 16 babies were in the ICU at the time. After the deaths, seven were transferred to another hospital and four were to follow suit, with one of them already discharged, officials said. The transferred and discharged babies are in good health.

The bereaved families reportedly said the infants all had bloated bellies and difficulty breathing. Doctors and nurses told police that they had no idea why the babies died.

Police said they will ask the National Forensic Service to conduct autopsies on the babies to determine the exact causes of the deaths.

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