ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 26 – Fourteen newborn babies were killed Wednesday when a fire broke out in a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals, after an air conditioner reportedly exploded, officials said. Fifteen babies were inside the nursery when the blaze began, and hospital officials said one child was rescued.
The fire, which was confined to the nursery on the hospital’s third floor, triggered a frantic rescue operation as staff and emergency workers tried to reach the babies through windows. Television footage showed rescue workers climbing ladders toward broken windows as smoke poured from the affected area.
The tragedy left families gathered outside the hospital in grief and confusion. Some parents cried as they waited for information about their children, while others questioned whether the nursery had adequate fire-safety equipment and whether the emergency response was sufficient to protect critically ill newborns.
Hospital spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil said a doctor managed to rescue one baby from the nursery. She said six of the deceased babies had been handed over to their families, while arrangements were being made to release the remaining bodies.
For families who had expected to take their newborn children home after treatment, the fire turned into a devastating loss within minutes.
One mother, who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami, said she had given birth only three days earlier. Her baby had been receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out.
“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child.”
The fire was later brought under control, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf said. Hospital officials and witnesses said there were no reports of injuries elsewhere in the facility, and the rest of the hospital continued to remain unaffected by the blaze.
The deaths rank among Pakistan’s most serious recent tragedies involving children. The incident has also renewed concerns over fire prevention and emergency preparedness in public facilities, particularly areas where patients are unable to move without assistance.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed the death toll during an interview with Geo News and said he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to supervise the investigation. The government moved quickly to launch an inquiry into both the cause of the fire and the hospital’s response.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also ordered the removal of Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry’s highest-ranking civil servant, following the tragedy. The decision came as government officials faced growing questions about whether safety standards at the nursery were sufficient.
Investigation begins into cause of deadly nursery fire
The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee to establish what happened before, during and after the fire. The committee was instructed to submit its findings within 24 hours, reflecting the urgency surrounding the investigation.
According to the government order, investigators will examine the cause of the fire, how quickly the flames spread and whether appropriate fire-safety arrangements were available inside the nursery. The panel will also assess the emergency response and determine whether hospital procedures were followed when the fire broke out.
The investigation is expected to focus particularly on the air conditioning equipment that officials identified as the apparent source of the blaze. Officials have said an exploding air conditioner triggered the fire, although the inquiry is expected to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the equipment failure and determine whether other factors contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
The location of the fire presented an especially serious challenge. Newborns receiving intensive medical care cannot be evacuated in the same way as mobile patients. Many require oxygen, monitoring equipment and other medical support, meaning any emergency evacuation requires trained staff and carefully organized procedures.
Television images from outside the hospital showed the scale of the rescue effort. Workers used ladders to reach the third-floor nursery through windows after parts of the building were damaged. The images also captured relatives waiting anxiously outside the hospital as officials worked to account for the children inside.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Sharif both expressed sorrow over the deaths. Sharif described the loss of children as an irreparable tragedy and held a high-level meeting with officials from relevant agencies several hours after the fire.
President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the affected families. He described the deaths as heartbreaking and called for anyone found responsible to face justice. Zardari also urged hospitals to ensure that effective fire-safety systems and emergency procedures are in place.
The government’s response has placed renewed attention on the safety of Pakistan’s public hospitals, where crowded facilities, aging infrastructure and limited emergency resources can create additional risks during fires and other disasters.
For the families of the 14 babies, however, the immediate concern is no longer about institutional procedures but the loss of children they had hoped would survive.
Parents demand answers as Pakistan mourns the victims
The scenes at the hospital reflected both grief and anger. Parents and relatives gathered at PIMS after learning about the fire, with some crying openly while others demanded explanations from hospital authorities.
The central questions now facing investigators include whether the nursery had sufficient firefighting equipment, whether alarms and emergency systems were functioning properly, and whether staff had been adequately prepared to evacuate critically ill newborns.
The fact that the fire remained confined to the nursery prevented the incident from becoming an even larger hospital disaster. Officials said no other parts of the facility were affected and no additional injuries were reported. Nevertheless, the death of 14 newborns has raised serious questions about safety arrangements in a medical unit where patients are among the most vulnerable people in the country.
Pakistan has experienced several deadly incidents involving children in recent months. In June, 14 schoolchildren were killed in Lahore when the roof of a tutoring center under construction collapsed. The latest fire adds another devastating incident to a series of tragedies that have prompted public concern over safety standards and enforcement.
Health officials now face pressure to establish exactly why the nursery could not be secured before the fire claimed so many lives. The government’s 24-hour deadline for the fact-finding committee means an initial account of the incident is expected quickly, although determining responsibility and identifying any failures could require a more detailed investigation.
Officials have also indicated that the investigation should not be limited to the equipment that allegedly triggered the blaze. Emergency preparedness, fire prevention, evacuation procedures and the availability of suitable firefighting equipment will all be important elements in determining whether the tragedy could have been prevented or its consequences reduced.
For grieving families, the investigation carries particular significance. Many of them arrived at the hospital expecting medical updates about their newborn children and instead received news of their deaths.
The government has promised accountability, while hospital authorities have begun the process of handing the bodies to relatives. As the investigation proceeds, families are likely to seek clear answers about what happened inside the nursery and whether adequate measures were available to protect their children.
The tragedy has also highlighted the special risks faced by newborns in intensive-care units. Unlike older children and adults, babies in critical care depend entirely on medical staff and equipment for survival. Any delay during an emergency can therefore have fatal consequences.
As Pakistan mourns the 14 newborns who died in the Islamabad hospital fire, attention is now turning toward the findings of the government inquiry. Its conclusions could determine not only who bears responsibility for Wednesday’s deaths, but also whether changes are made to fire-safety requirements and emergency procedures in hospitals across the country.