Tragedy At Islamabad Hospital As Fire Kills 15 Newborns

At least 15 newborn babies died after a massive fire broke out inside the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, according to local media reports citing officials. The nursery housed 16 infants when the blaze erupted, with only one baby rescued from the affected area.

Fire Erupts In Nursery At Around 6:45 Am

According to rescue officials, the fire broke out at around 6:45 a.m. on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward. Geo TV reported that an air-conditioner compressor reportedly exploded before the blaze started.

The fire quickly engulfed the nursery, leaving rescue teams with little time to evacuate the newborns.

Officials from PIMS said 16 babies were present in the nursery at the time. Only one could be rescued, while the remaining 15 died in the fire.

14 Babies Completely Burnt

The district administration said 14 of the newborns were completely burnt in the blaze. Rescue teams reached the hospital shortly after receiving information about the incident and launched firefighting and evacuation operations.

Six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances were deployed to deal with the emergency.

Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control and carried out cooling operations at the site to prevent the fire from reigniting.

Probe Ordered Into Hospital Fire

The incident has raised concerns over fire safety arrangements at PIMS, particularly in a ward housing vulnerable newborn children.

The district administration has constituted an enquiry committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.

The committee will examine how the blaze started, the hospital’s safety arrangements and the emergency response, officials said. Further details are awaited.