Fire kills at least 14 newborns at Pakistan hospital nursery, officials say
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Fire kills at least 14 newborns at Pakistan hospital nursery, officials say
Fire at Pakistan hospital nursery kills at least 14 newborns in Islamabad
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At least 14 newborns died on Wednesday after a fire tore through a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, officials said. The blaze erupted around 6:38 a.m. on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward, where 15 infants were present, with only one rescued alive.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said CCTV footage showed a spark from an air-conditioning unit followed by a fireball, with oxygen lines in the nursery accelerating the spread of flames. The room was engulfed within about a minute, he added. Kamal also acknowledged the facility lacked a sprinkler system.
Witnesses and grieving relatives alleged that doors to the nursery were locked, hindering escape. Abdul Ghaffoor, a witness, said doors were routinely secured due to restrictions on male access and concerns about infant theft. PIMS officials and Kamal confirmed that access was controlled, with a guard monitoring a secondary door. The hospital disputed claims that emergency exits were blocked, stating they were “fully open and operational.”
Rescue workers faced thick smoke and difficult access, using ladders and breaking windows to reach the ward. Six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances were deployed, and firefighters brought the blaze under control. Hospital staff rescued four babies from an adjacent room and three mothers, while 73 patients from the neighboring gynecology ward were evacuated.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a high-level investigation and suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghaury. President Asif Ali Zardari called for accountability and stronger safety measures in hospitals. Kamal pledged that findings would be made public and that “no one responsible for negligence, including me, will be spared.”
The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multi-agency committee to submit a report within 24 hours, examining the fire’s cause, safety measures, and emergency response. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sharif expressed sorrow, with the prime minister calling the deaths “an irreparable loss.”
The tragedy follows a similar incident in June 2024, when a fire at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital in Punjab, caused by a faulty air-conditioning unit, killed 11 babies. Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz later ordered the arrest of the hospital’s medical superintendent and three senior doctors after expired fire extinguishers were found.
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Articles
Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 babies as witnesses allege locked doors in Islamabad Islamabad, 26 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Fourteen newborn babies have died in a Pakistan hospital fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), as witnesses and grieving relatives alleged that doors were locked while flames and … Read more
brussels morning · about 1 hour ago
PIMS hospital fire kills 14 infants in Islamabad Islamabad, Pakistan, 26 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Fourteen infants have died after a PIMS hospital fire swept through a nursery in the Mother and Child Health facility at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, prompting … Read more
brussels morning · about 1 hour ago
At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire At least 14 infants were killed in a fire at a state-run hospital in Pakistans capital Islamabad on Wednesday, the prime minister said, with the health minister attributing the tragedy to a blast in the nursery ward. 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. Watchdogs have frequently criticised state-run facilities as mismanaged.
france24 · about 1 hour ago
Pakistan: At least 14 newborns die in hospital fire Devasted parents gathered outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday after a fire tore through a mother-and-baby ward, killing at least 14 newborns. Witnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes, including intense smoke and broken glass, while local media blamed the tragedy on a faulty air conditioning system.
france24 · about 1 hour ago
Fire in hospital nursery kills 14 newborns in Pakistani capital A probe has been launched into the blaze at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad.
thejournal · about 1 hour ago
Locked inside: Grief and anger as Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 newborns A nursery for critical infants — supposedly the safest place in Islamabads PIMS hospital — turned into a deathtrap.
aljazeera · about 1 hour ago
🇵🇰 A fire erupted in a hospital maternity ward in Islamabad on Wednesday killing 14 infants, Pakistan authorities said, blaming a faulty air conditioner for the blaze. ➡️ u.afp.com/SVGt
bluesky_AFP English · about 2 hours ago
🇵🇰 ⚠️ Give me my child back: mother of one of 14 infants killed in Pakistan hospital fire The blaze erupted in a hospital maternity ward in Islamabad killing 14 infants, authorities said, blaming a faulty air conditioner. Witnesses described harrowing scenes, with intense smoke and broken glass
bluesky_AFP English · about 2 hours ago