Agencies | Islamabad:
At least 15 newborn babies were killed after a devastating fire broke out in the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, according to Pakistani media reports.
The fire erupted in the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) ward on the third floor of the hospital, where 16 newborns were reportedly being cared for at the time. Rescue officials cited by Geo News said only one infant was rescued alive.
According to preliminary reports, the blaze may have started after an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery. Thick smoke and flames quickly engulfed the ward, prompting emergency teams to rush to the scene.
Videos from the rescue operation showed firefighters breaking the glass of a nursery window to gain access to the smoke-filled ward and evacuate the infants.
District administration officials said rescue teams eventually brought the fire under control and carried out cooling operations to prevent the flames from reigniting.
Reports said 14 newborns were completely charred in the blaze, while another infant also died, bringing the reported death toll to 15.
The precise cause of the fire has not yet been officially established. Authorities have constituted an inquiry committee headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The committee is expected to examine the cause of the fire, the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements, the response of staff and emergency personnel, and whether adequate measures were in place to protect the newborns.
The nursery reportedly housed 16 infants when the fire broke out. With flames and heavy smoke making access difficult, firefighters were forced to enter the ward through a window after breaking its glass.
Emergency personnel worked to extinguish the blaze and remove the newborns from the affected area.
The incident has raised serious questions about fire safety and emergency preparedness in critical-care areas, particularly hospital nurseries where newborns require continuous medical supervision and cannot be evacuated independently.
PIMS is one of Islamabad’s largest government-run healthcare facilities and provides treatment to patients from across Pakistan.
The hospital has previously treated several prominent political figures, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was taken there for a medical examination following a court-directed health check-up.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire, while further details regarding the victims, the hospital’s safety arrangements and the findings of the inquiry are awaited.
