ISLAMABAD — At least 14 newborn babies were killed and one infant was rescued after a fire broke out early Wednesday in the nursery of the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of the capital’s largest public hospitals.
The blaze erupted around 6:45 a.m. on the third floor of PIMS’s Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward, according to the Islamabad district administration. Officials said 14 to 15 newborns were in the nursery at the time of the incident, and only one could be pulled out alive.
PIMS Executive Director Professor Imran Sikandar confirmed the deaths, saying the exact cause of the fire had not yet been established, though initial reports pointed to a malfunction involving an air-conditioning compressor.
PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneza Jalil told media outlets that the fire started in an air-conditioning unit and intensified rapidly because of oxygen connections in the ward.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the blaze was caused by an explosion in an air-conditioning unit in the children’s intensive care ward. “The presence of oxygen in the ward caused the fire to intensify,” he said. “As a result, 14 innocent children lost their lives.”
Emergency Response
The district administration said rescue teams reached the scene as soon as they were alerted, deploying six fire engines and four ambulances. The fire was brought under control shortly after crews arrived, and cooling operations continued at the site to prevent it from reigniting. Rescue officials said a total of 19 people — including 10 women, seven children and two men — were evacuated from the ward.
Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf and the Inspector General of Police were present at the scene overseeing the rescue and relief operation. Media access to the site was restricted.
