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14 Newborns Killed in Islamabad Hospital Nursery Fire
(MENAFN) At least 14 newborns lost their lives Wednesday when a fire tore through a hospital nursery in Pakistan's capital, officials confirmed.
The blaze broke out around 7 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on the third floor of the Maternal and Child Health Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a facility that was treating 15 babies at the time.
Islamabad's administration initially reported that firefighters had brought the flames under control shortly after they erupted, and that 14 infants with severe burns had been rushed to intensive care.
The deaths were later confirmed by the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper the fire likely originated from a short circuit, though other local media outlets have pointed to a possible malfunction in the hospital's air-conditioning system as the trigger.
Sharif voiced deep grief over the tragedy and ordered an immediate probe into what went wrong.
"Such a situation involving children is irreparable. The causes of the incident should be thoroughly examined, those responsible should be identified, and the strictest possible action should be taken," the prime minister said.
Islamabad's administration has since formed an inquiry committee, led by the additional deputy commissioner general, to establish exactly how the fire started.
The committee has also been tasked with determining whether negligence or breakdowns in the hospital's safety systems played a role in the deaths, and with identifying those accountable.
The blaze broke out around 7 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on the third floor of the Maternal and Child Health Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a facility that was treating 15 babies at the time.
Islamabad's administration initially reported that firefighters had brought the flames under control shortly after they erupted, and that 14 infants with severe burns had been rushed to intensive care.
The deaths were later confirmed by the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper the fire likely originated from a short circuit, though other local media outlets have pointed to a possible malfunction in the hospital's air-conditioning system as the trigger.
Sharif voiced deep grief over the tragedy and ordered an immediate probe into what went wrong.
"Such a situation involving children is irreparable. The causes of the incident should be thoroughly examined, those responsible should be identified, and the strictest possible action should be taken," the prime minister said.
Islamabad's administration has since formed an inquiry committee, led by the additional deputy commissioner general, to establish exactly how the fire started.
The committee has also been tasked with determining whether negligence or breakdowns in the hospital's safety systems played a role in the deaths, and with identifying those accountable.
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