A blaze erupted around 6:45am in the Mother and Child Hospital ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, apparently triggered by an air-conditioning unit failure, killing 14 newborns. Officials said 15 babies were in the ward and at least one was rescued. The incident, among Pakistan’s deadliest hospital fires, has prompted an official probe and renewed scrutiny of under-resourced public healthcare.
A fire broke out early Wednesday at a newborn nursery in a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, killing 14 infants, hospital officials and the government said.
Rescue officials said the fire started around 6:45am, apparently after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery on the third floor of the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
In a statement, the Islamabad administration said the fire broke out on the Mother and Child Hospital’s ward.
It said rescue teams rushed to the scene, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances taking part in the rescue operation.
“The fire was immediately brought under control and the children were immediately shifted to the intensive care unit,” it said, adding that 14 children “were completely burnt”.
An inquiry committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner general has been formed to investigate the incident, it added.
Meanwhile, PIMS Spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil told Dawn that 15 babies were in the ward.
“At least one baby was saved by a doctor,” she said.
Other media reports, however, put the number of babies at 16, with some suggesting the death toll to be higher at 15.
Speaking to Geo News, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the infants in the ward were either in incubators or on oxygen.
The incident is among the deadliest hospital fires in recent years in the country, where government healthcare is subsidised but facilities are under-resourced and overburdened while watchdogs have frequently criticised state-run facilities as mismanaged.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation, his office said.
"Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken," Sharif's office said in a statement, adding, "A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss."
The ward has been cordoned off and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building, according to a Reuters witness.
PIMS, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan was briefly treated last week, is one of the main public hospitals of the city.