Fourteen newborn infants died in a devastating fire that broke out early Wednesday morning in the maternity and neonatal ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a major government hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital.
The blaze began around 6:38 a.m. when an electrical spark from an air conditioning unit inside the nursery ignited rapidly, according to the Pakistani news outlet DAWN. Within seconds, flames reached the oxygen supply lines and oxygen cylinders connected to each incubator in the room, triggering a powerful explosion that caused the fire to spread with extraordinary speed. The ceiling collapsed shortly afterward, turning the entire room into a trap filled with fire and thick smoke that prevented medical staff from reaching most of the infants inside.
Medical personnel and nurses on duty attempted to fight the flames using dozens of fire extinguishers installed in the building. Doctors managed to rescue only one infant from the burning nursery, along with four additional babies from an adjacent room and three mothers. Dozens of other patients and new mothers were evacuated from the floor. However, the intensity of the fire and heavy smoke blocked further access.
Outside the hospital, heartbreaking scenes unfolded as grieving parents and family members wept on the street. Some attempted to smash through barred windows with their bare hands while suffering from smoke inhalation, desperately trying to reach their trapped children.
Eyewitnesses and mothers who lost their children in the tragedy leveled serious accusations at hospital management and emergency responders. Many parents claimed that ward doors were locked when the fire broke out and that security guards prevented entry and exit. The health minister later explained that security protocols had been tightened and certain doors were secured due to past incidents of infant abduction, though he denied that emergency exits were blocked during the tragedy. Families also made serious allegations about significant delays in the arrival of firefighting and rescue forces, while authorities countered that fire crews arrived within minutes but encountered unprecedented heat intensity due to massive oxygen leakage at the site.
Following the national disaster and intense public outcry that erupted across the country, Pakistan's prime minister ordered the immediate suspension and dismissal of the federal health secretary and directed the establishment of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate safety failures and those responsible. The health minister, who arrived at the scene and faced journalists, stated he was prepared to take personal responsibility and even submit his resignation if negligence on his part or that of his subordinates was found. The tragedy also drew widespread international attention. UNICEF, foreign embassies, and numerous countries worldwide expressed deep sorrow and called for urgent review of safety standards and fire suppression systems in the country's hospitals, which have suffered for many years from poor maintenance, persistent disregard for basic safety standards, and severe resource shortages.
