ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — Fourteen newborns were killed and one was rescued when a fire tore through the nursery of the mother and child health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences early on Wednesday, according to the Prime Minister’s Office and the hospital’s own spokesperson.
The Islamabad district administration said the fire broke out on the third floor of the mother and child health ward at PIMS, one of the capital’s largest state-run hospitals. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said an emergency fire call came in shortly before 7am, and wrote on X that rescue teams reached the site and “controlled the fire”. Rescue sources cited by Geo put the start of the blaze at 6:45am.
The death toll remains unsettled. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed 14 deaths, and PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneza Jalil told Arab News, “14 babies passed away. One was rescued.” Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal also gave a figure of 14. Geo, citing PIMS officials, reported at least 15 deaths and said the nursery held 16 newborns when the fire started. Police sources quoted by CNN put the toll at at least 13, mostly newborns, and said some infants remained in critical condition, leaving open the possibility that the figure rises.
Television footage aired through the morning showed rescue workers using ladders and entering the affected area through broken windows.
No official cause has been established. PIMS Executive Director Professor Imran Sikandar confirmed the deaths and told Samaa that the incident would be examined from all angles, adding that the exact cause was not yet known, though early indications pointed to a possible air-conditioning compressor malfunction. Rescue sources cited by CNN and Geo have likewise attributed the blaze to an air-conditioning compressor explosion inside the nursery. Kamal, speaking to reporters, described an explosion in an air-conditioning unit and said conditions in the ward worsened the blaze: “The presence of oxygen in the ward caused the fire to intensify.”
Accounts of the ignition source are not consistent. Dr Jalil was separately quoted as saying the fire appeared to have been caused by a short circuit, an account that sits alongside rather than confirms the compressor explanation.
The Islamabad administration said six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances took part in the response, that the blaze was brought under control and that children were moved to an intensive care unit. It said 14 children were completely burnt. Cooling operations continued at the ward after the fire was extinguished. Samaa reported that the Islamabad inspector general of police, the chief commissioner and senior district administration officials arrived at the hospital and reviewed the rescue operation.
A fact-finding committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner general for Islamabad Capital Territory has been constituted to determine the cause of the fire and the factors behind its spread. The committee includes officials from the Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Police, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company, PIMS and Capital Emergency Services. It has also been asked to assess whether adequate and functional fire-safety measures were in place at the facility and to evaluate the response time and effectiveness of the rescue and firefighting operation. The committee has been directed to report within 24 hours.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and ordered an immediate investigation. In a statement, his office said, “Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken.” The prime minister described a situation involving children as irreparable, according to the statement, and directed authorities to examine the factors behind the fire in detail and fix responsibility. President Asif Ali Zardari, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani each expressed grief and offered condolences to the bereaved families, with Naqvi saying his sympathies were with the families and that the government stood with them.
