Key takeaways:
- At least 14 newborn babies were killed in a nursery fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Islamabad.
- Officials said the fire began shortly before 7 a.m. and was initially linked to a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation and said those responsible would face the “strictest action.”
A fire swept through a nursery at a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital on Wednesday, killing at least 14 newborn babies and prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order an immediate investigation.
The blaze broke out shortly before 7 a.m. local time at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Islamabad, officials said. The nursery, part of the hospital’s gynecology ward and located on the third floor of the Mother and Child Centre, housed at least 15 newborns when the fire began, according to hospital officials cited by CBS News. At least one baby was rescued.
Rescue officials said the fire started at about 6:45 a.m., apparently after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery. Al Jazeera reported that initial findings from officials indicated the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.
Firefighters responded quickly and extinguished the flames, while rescue teams continued cooling operations at the site, local media reported. A witness told Reuters that the ward was cordoned off and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building.
The prime minister’s office confirmed that 14 newborns had died. Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and offered condolences to the bereaved families in a statement posted on X. “A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” he said. He also said those responsible would face the “strictest action.”
Local broadcaster Geo TV put the death toll at 15 and reported that one infant was rescued from the ward before firefighters brought the blaze under control, according to Al Jazeera. Hospital officials and the government said at least 14 newborns were killed. A hospital spokesperson did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment, CBS News reported.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is a government-run hospital that provides subsidised care. Al Jazeera reported that Wednesday’s blaze was one of the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan’s history and noted that public hospitals in the country remain underfunded, mismanaged and overcrowded.
Building fires occur frequently in Pakistan, where safety regulations and building codes are often ignored or poorly enforced, Al Jazeera reported. In January, at least 65 people died when a massive fire swept through a crowded shopping complex in the southern port city of Karachi.
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