At least 14 newborn babies were killed and one was rescued after a fire broke out in the nursery of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, officials said, in one of the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan in recent years.
What Happened
The blaze broke out around 7 am in the maternal and child health ward on the third floor of PIMS, one of Islamabad’s largest state-run hospitals, according to the district administration.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the fire was caused by an explosion in an air-conditioning unit inside the children’s intensive care ward. “The presence of oxygen in the ward caused the fire to intensify,” he said, adding that 14 infants had died as a result.
PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneza Jalil told Arab News that 14 babies had died and one had been rescued. Some early reports from news sources put the toll as high as 15, and officials have cautioned that the number of critically injured infants means the death toll could still rise.
Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said an emergency fire call was received just before 7 am, and the district administration said six fire engines and four ambulances responded to the scene.
However, in a social media video, parents of the deceased claimed no police or rescuers came until 4 hours after the incident.
Official Response
“The loss of the lives of innocent newborn babies is an extremely heartbreaking tragedy,” Kamal said, adding that the health secretary and officials from the Ministry of Health had reached PIMS following the incident. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed condolences, saying, “Our deepest sympathies are with the grieving families. We stand with the families of the deceased children in this difficult time.”
The Islamabad district administration has constituted a fact-finding committee to be headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), to determine the exact cause of the fire and examine how it spread. The committee includes officials from the Islamabad Capital Territory administration, Islamabad Police and the Islamabad Electric Supply Company. Kamal said relevant administrative and enforcement agencies had reached the site to establish the facts.
A Recurring Problem
PIMS is a major public teaching hospital founded in 1985 and affiliated with Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, serving as one of the primary referral hospitals for Islamabad and the surrounding region. Hospital fires are not uncommon in Pakistan’s government-run facilities, which are often subsidised but under-resourced, with outdated electrical infrastructure frequently cited as a contributing factor in past incidents.
What Happens Next
The fact-finding committee is expected to report on the cause of the blaze and the factors that allowed it to spread so quickly through the nursery. Authorities have not yet said whether any hospital staff or officials will face disciplinary action pending the outcome of the investigation.
