AT LEAST 14 NEWBORNS KILLED IN FIRE AT PIMS’ GYNAE WARD IN ISLAMABAD

Wed 26 August 2026:

A fire erupted early Wednesday in the children’s ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, killing at least 15 newborns, according to local media reports.

Geo News, citing hospital officials, reported on Wednesday that the nursery at PIMS housed 16 newborns at the time of the incident. Only one was rescued.

The outlet cited officials as saying the fire started after an air conditioner compressor exploded in the nursery. The blaze has been extinguished, and firefighters are carrying out cooling operations at the site, it added.

Footage aired on television showed rescue workers using ladders to reach broken windows to access the affected area. Outside the hospital, an AFP reporter saw a woman in tears and a man clear glass from two broken windows, as security guards stood at the entrance to the medical facility.

In a statement, the Islamabad administration said that the fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital’s ward. It said that rescue teams rushed to the scene, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances taking part in the rescue operation.

“The fire was immediately brought under control and the children were immediately shifted to the intensive care unit,” it said, adding that 14 children “were completely burnt”.

Pims Spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil told Dawn that 15 babies were in the ward. “At least one baby was saved by a doctor,” she said.

Speaking to Geo News, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that the infants in the ward were either in incubators or on oxygen. He said the incident occurred at 6:45am due to a “blast in the air conditioner” inside the ward.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

He said that the blast caused the fire, which was exacerbated due to the presence of the oxygen tanks. He confirmed that 14 infants had been killed, adding that law enforcement agencies were on the ground.

Malik Israr, whose niece was admitted to the gynae ward, told Dawn that it was unfortunate the nursery was housed in a building in which repair and renovation work was ongoing.

“After the fire erupted, they told patients to vacate the building. Women who had just given birth had to rush down the stairs from the second floor,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed the relevant authorities to investigate the incident. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), he expressed deep sorrow and grief at the incident and offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

“Such a situation involving children is unbearable,” the statement quoted him as saying.

“The circumstances that led to the incident should be thoroughly reviewed, those responsible should be identified, and the strictest possible action should be taken,” he said.

اسلام آباد : 26 اگست 2026.

وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے پمز ہسپتال کی نرسری میں آتشزدگی کے اندوناک واقعہ میں 14 نومولود جاں بحق ہونے پر گہرے دکھ اور دِلی افسوس کا اظہار کیا. وزیراعظم نے معصوم بچوں کے لواحقین سے دلی اظہار تعزیت کیا۔ وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے آتشزدگی کے افسوسناک…

— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) August 26, 2026

Pims, established in 1985, is Islamabad’s biggest public sector hospital. It is one of two of the oldest health facilities in the federal capital and comprises several hospitals and teaching institutes.

Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) said in a statement that it was in “deep mourning” over the incident.

“The association reiterates that healthcare facilities are designed to protect and restore human lives, yet administrative failure and regulatory oversight lapses have turned these institutions into danger zones,” it said.

It demanded action against officials “whose failure to uphold safety codes resulted in this catastrophe”. It also demanded enforcing strict consequences so that “systemic failure serves as a decisive warning, preventing future lapses across both public and private medical facilities”.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22