A fire inside a newborn nursery at one of Pakistan’s largest government hospitals killed 14 babies early Wednesday, leaving only one infant from the ward alive and triggering an urgent investigation into the building’s safety systems and emergency response.
The blaze erupted at approximately 6:45 a.m. on August 26 inside the Mother and Child Centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, commonly known as PIMS, in Islamabad. Pakistan’s federal health minister, Mustafa Kamal, confirmed that 15 newborns were in the nursery and that one was rescued, according to The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation and called for accountability. A multiagency committee has been directed to report its findings within 24 hours.
What officials have confirmed
The fire broke out on the third floor of the hospital’s mother-and-child facility. Six fire engines and four ambulances were dispatched, according to an Islamabad administration statement reported by Dawn.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control, but the nursery suffered catastrophic losses. PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil told Dawn that 15 babies had been inside the ward. Federal officials later confirmed 14 deaths and one rescue.
Early local reports placed the death toll at 15, but the official figure reported by the prime minister, health minister, AP and Reuters is 14. The distinction matters as authorities continue identifying the victims and completing hospital records.
An air-conditioning failure is suspected, but the inquiry is not finished
Kamal said preliminary information indicated that an air-conditioning compressor exploded inside the nursery. Oxygen equipment used to care for the infants may have intensified the fire, he told Geo News.
That remains an initial account rather than a final determination. The investigative committee has been asked to establish the exact cause, determine whether fire alarms and other safety measures were working, examine whether emergency exits were accessible and evaluate how quickly rescue teams responded.
The panel includes representatives from the district administration, police, fire services and technical agencies. Its report is expected within 24 hours, according to a government notification described by AP and CBS News.
Families are demanding answers
Parents and relatives gathered outside PIMS as authorities worked to release the infants’ remains. Some families questioned whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment and whether all exits were available during the emergency.
Those allegations have not yet been resolved. They are among the issues the fact-finding committee is expected to examine.
Sharif expressed condolences to the families and said anyone found responsible should face strict action. President Asif Ali Zardari also called the deaths an irreparable loss and urged hospitals across Pakistan to review their fire-safety systems, particularly in newborn and intensive-care wards.
Why the investigation matters beyond one hospital
PIMS is a major public medical complex serving the capital and patients from surrounding areas. The scale of the loss at such a prominent facility has raised questions about maintenance, overcrowding and emergency preparedness throughout Pakistan’s hospital system.
Building fires remain a recurring public-safety problem in the country. Safety regulations are not always consistently enforced, and older or heavily used public buildings can face electrical, maintenance and evacuation challenges.
The investigation will need to answer more than what ignited the fire. It must establish whether the nursery was properly protected, whether staff had a workable evacuation plan and whether the deaths could have been prevented.
For the families who arrived at the hospital expecting care for their newborns, those answers cannot reverse the loss. But a transparent account of what failed — followed by enforceable safety changes — may be the only way to prevent another hospital ward from suffering the same tragedy.
