“I just learned, in pain and dismay, the deaths of 11 babies,” Sall said in a tweet.
“I express my deep compassion for their mothers and their families,” she added.
CNN has contacted the hospital, but has not yet received a response.
In a statement on Thursday, the country’s health ministry said an emergency response plan had been launched and “arrangements are being made for the assistance of the families of the victims.”
The ministry’s statement added that Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, who is attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva, has interrupted his trip and would return to Senegal today.
Senegalese Minister for Regional Planning and Local Government Cheikh Bamba Dièye described the deadly incident as “horrible and unacceptable” while calling for an investigation into the country’s health systems.
“I am appalled by the horrific and unacceptable death of 11 newborns in Tivaoune. The resurgence of tragedies in our hospitals reminds us of the need to thoroughly review the quality of service in our hospitals. My deepest condolences to the families “, he said. in a Twitter post.