Fourteen infants have died following a fire that erupted in a maternity ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad. The blaze, which started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child unit, left only one of 15 babies present saved.
Eyewitnesses, including a mother of one victim, claimed the door to the maternity ward was locked. However, Rana Imran Sikander, the hospital's executive director, told the BBC that the ward's door was not locked but was manned by security guards to protect babies from theft.
Parents reported waiting hours for help to arrive, with one father stating he lost his three-day-old daughter. Other witnesses suggested inadequate safety protocols, a lack of fire extinguishers, and absent duty staff. Islamabad's Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf, however, stated that rescue teams reached the scene immediately after the emergency call.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident. He has also suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri.