Hospital nursery fire at Pakistan's largest public hospital in Islamabad kills 14 newborns
A fire broke out early Wednesday morning in the newborn nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, killing at least 14 babies. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed the death toll, and rescue officials said the fire began around 6:45 a.m. after an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery in the gynecology ward. At least one baby was rescued, and firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after responding.
Single source · Not corroborated
The fire erupted at approximately 6:45 a.m. at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, one of Islamabad's largest public hospitals, where at least 15 newborns were housed in the nursery at the time. Rescue officials attributed the cause to an exploding air-conditioning unit compressor inside the gynecology ward's nursery. Firefighters responded quickly and extinguished the blaze, after which rescue teams began cooling operations at the site.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed the toll of at least 14 deaths and told local Geo News channel he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to personally oversee the investigation. He said the director-general of health and the federal health secretary were already on site. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf confirmed the fire had been extinguished and said authorities were coordinating with affected families.
Within hours of the fire, the Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with instructions to submit a report within 24 hours. According to a government notification, the panel will investigate the cause and spread of the fire, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, and evaluate the emergency response.