Fire at maternity ward in Islamabad hospital kills 14 infants

Fire at Islamabad Hospital Kills 14 Newborn Babies

At least 14 newborn babies died in a fire at a hospital ward in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday morning, according to hospital officials and the Islamabad district office. The fire broke out on the third floor of the mother and child unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of the main state-run hospitals in the city.

The blaze started when an air conditioning unit caught fire, a hospital spokesman told the BBC. There were 15 babies in the ward at the time, and one was rescued, the spokesman said. Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News that the babies in the ward were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment. Oxygen is not flammable on its own, but it can accelerate a fire, making materials burn hotter and faster.

In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended Federal Secretary of Health Aslam Ghauri, a top official in the health department, removing him from his post. The prime minister has been chairing a high-level meeting on the hospital fire and has expressed "deep anger" at some officials, according to the information ministry. In a separate statement, Sharif expressed his "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret" over the incident and instructed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed "deep grief and sorrow over the deaths of 14 infants" in a statement. Islamabad's District Magistrate formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the fire, which must produce a report within 24 hours.

Eyewitnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes at the hospital, including intense smoke and broken glass, with some complaining that rescuers were slow to respond. Khurram Mehmood, who told the AFP news agency his three-day-old daughter died in the fire, claimed that rescuers took hours to arrive. "We were sitting on the road waiting for help," he said. Another witness, Abdul Ghafoor, told AFP the fire spread "very quickly" and described how he went into the hospital to try to help save patients but could not reach the maternity ward. "There was thick black smoke inside and patients were trapped... rescue teams arrived after almost two hours," he said.

Hivsa Walid told the BBC she was inside the hospital when the fire broke out, with her sister-in-law who had given birth in the days before. They were in the nursery opposite the room where the fire started. They heard a shout and initially thought someone had died but then saw the smoke. They grabbed her sister-in-law's newborn and escaped, Walid said.

Jaweria, a woman who said she lost her infant in the blaze, told reporters that the door to the neonatal intensive care unit was locked. Another witness said hospital security prevented people from leaving and doors had to be broken down.

Police said the newborn babies who died were badly burnt and will need to be identified through DNA tests. An AFP reporter at the scene saw a nurse call out the names of babies who had perished in the fire as families gathered outside. A mother with black residue from the smoke on her hands stood crying outside the hospital as she held her 10-day-old baby in her arms. Shagufta Parveen, another mother, told AFP: "People were screaming. There was black smoke. We ran for our lives. Thank god my baby is safe."

Sohail Ashraf, the Islamabad chief commissioner, said the emergency call was made just before 7:00 am, with rescue and police teams reaching the scene "immediately" and bringing the fire under control. His account contrasts with eyewitness reports that rescuers were delayed by up to two hours.

The cause of the fire has been attributed to a faulty air conditioner by Pakistan authorities, according to the BBC. However, some witnesses have suggested that doors being locked may have hindered escape, and the investigation committee is expected to examine all aspects of the incident.

This tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly fires in Pakistan. In January, more than 65 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in Karachi. In 2023, at least 11 people were killed in a shopping mall fire in Karachi. In 2021, at least 16 workers died after a factory fire in Karachi, and in 2012, at least 250 labourers died at a garment factory in Karachi.

Perspectives

• Officials: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other government figures expressed grief and ordered an immediate investigation, suspended a senior health official, and formed a fact-finding committee. Islamabad's chief commissioner maintained that rescue teams responded immediately.
• Eyewitnesses and victims' families: Reports from witnesses at the scene describe delayed rescue efforts, locked doors, and chaotic scenes. Several families said their infants died, and one mother claimed the neonatal intensive care unit door was locked, hindering escape.
• Authorities on cause: Pakistan authorities, including a hospital spokesman, attributed the fire to a faulty air conditioner, while the health minister noted that oxygen equipment likely accelerated the blaze.