At least 15 newborn babies have died after a fire broke out in a hospital nursery in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the country in recent years.
The blaze started around 7am local time on Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), on the third floor of the hospital’s Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward, according to Pakistani broadcaster Geo TV.
The fire was triggered by a fault in the ward’s air-conditioning system, local media reported. There were 16 newborns in the ward when the fire broke out; one was rescued, officials said.
Reuters, citing Geo TV, reported at least 14 infants were killed, while Al Jazeera and LBC put the toll at 15. The discrepancy reflects the fast-moving nature of the disaster, and the figure is expected to be confirmed by hospital authorities in due course.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to launch an immediate investigation. “Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken,” his office said in a statement.
The ward was cordoned off and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building, according to a Reuters witness. PIMS, centrally located in Islamabad, is one of the main public hospitals in the city.
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The incident has renewed scrutiny of safety standards in Pakistan’s state-run healthcare facilities, which are heavily subsidised but frequently criticised by watchdogs as under-resourced and overburdened.
This is a developing story. Your News Website is following updates from Reuters, Geo TV, Al Jazeera, Sky News, NBC and LBC.
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