[ISLAMABAD] At least 14 newborns were killed Wednesday morning when a fire swept through the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, marking one of Pakistan’s deadliest hospital fires in recent years.
PIMS, Islamabad’s largest public hospital and a major referral center, serves patients from the capital and surrounding regions.
The Islamabad administration said the fire broke out on the third floor of the hospital’s Mother and Child Hospital, prompting an immediate emergency response. Six fire engines and four ambulances were dispatched as rescue teams worked to contain the blaze and evacuate patients.
PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneesa Jalil told The Media Line that 15 babies had been admitted to the ward and that a female doctor rescued one of them.
Jalil said the fire began in an air-conditioning unit and spread rapidly because of oxygen connections in the nursery.
Rescue officials had earlier speculated that an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery. Initial information from PIMS suggested that a short circuit may have caused the fire.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control and conducted cooling operations to ensure that it had been completely extinguished.
Local media, citing eyewitnesses and parents, reported that no hospital employees were present in the nursery when the fire began and that its entrance was locked. They also alleged that the ward’s emergency exit doors were closed.
PIMS Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar denied claims that the ward’s door was locked and that no hospital employees were present.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori and ordered the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the fire.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif said, “Such a situation involving children is irreparable. The circumstances surrounding the incident must be examined in detail, and those responsible must be identified and subjected to the strictest possible action.”
Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the bodies of all 14 infants killed in the fire had been returned to their families.
Chaudhry said an inquiry team had been formed to conduct a full investigation, including determining why the emergency exit doors were allegedly closed.
Speaking with journalists at PIMS, he rejected suggestions that firefighters and rescue teams had arrived late, saying they reached the hospital within six minutes of the control room receiving the call.
He said rescue personnel responded effectively and saved 19 people from the building, including seven children.
The fire has triggered shock and grief in the Pakistani capital. It is expected to raise questions about fire safety, emergency preparedness, and the condition of electrical, air-conditioning and oxygen systems in public hospitals.
The disaster comes as hospitals face mounting pressure to maintain critical infrastructure while caring for vulnerable patients, including premature and critically ill newborns who require specialized care and assistance during emergencies.
