Hospital Nursery Fire Kills 14 Newborns in Islamabad

A fire broke out in a newborn nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of 14 infants, according to hospital officials and the government.

The tragedy struck at approximately 6:45 a.m. on the third floor of the government hospital’s gynecology ward. According to hospital and rescue officials cited by the Associated Press, an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery, igniting the blaze. At least 15 newborns were housed in the unit when the fire started. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed the death toll of 14 children, while hospital spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil noted that at least one baby was rescued by a doctor.

The fire was contained entirely within the nursery, leaving the rest of the facility unaffected, with no other injuries reported by witnesses or hospital staff. Television footage showed rescue personnel using ladders to reach the third-floor ward through broken windows. Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly, and local authorities initiated cooling operations at the scene, according to Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf.

Immediate Government Response and Official Dismissals

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident as an irreparable loss and ordered an immediate, high-level inquiry. Despite a national holiday marking the eve of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, Sharif convened an emergency meeting where he expressed anger at relevant agencies and ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri to be removed from office, according to an official government statement reported by the Associated Press.

President Asif Ali Zardari also issued condolences, describing the deaths as heartbreaking and demanding that responsible parties be held accountable under the law. Zardari urged hospitals nationwide to review and enforce effective fire-safety measures and emergency protocols, specifically within wards caring for newborns. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal traveled from Karachi to Islamabad to oversee the investigation directly, joining the director-general of health and the federal health secretary at the hospital.

Within hours of the disaster, the Islamabad district magistrate formed a multiagency fact-finding committee with instructions to deliver a report within 24 hours. The panel is tasked with investigating the exact cause and spread of the fire, reviewing whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, and evaluating the overall emergency response.

Grief and Public Demand for Accountability

The deaths prompted widespread public grief and anger, drawing grieving parents, relatives, and community members to the hospital grounds where police were deployed to maintain order. Some mourners wept openly, while others questioned how the fire started and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.

I don’t know what to say or whom to blame. I have lost my child.

Mrs. Mohammad Sami&

Mrs. Mohammad Sami told reporters that she had given birth three days prior and that her infant was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out. Hospital staff informed families that bodies would be released following the completion of administrative paperwork. Dr. Jalil stated that the bodies of six babies had already been returned to their families, with the remaining infants’ remains to be released shortly.

Additional safety concerns surfaced regarding the hospital’s physical infrastructure. Malik Israr, whose niece was a patient in the gynecology ward, told the newspaper Dawn that the nursery was located in a building undergoing repairs and renovations. When the fire broke out, patients and recent mothers were instructed to evacuate, forcing women who had just given birth to rush down the stairs.