A fire in the nursery ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, Pakistan, killed 14 newborns on Wednesday. Authorities report the fire was triggered by an exploding air conditioning unit. Of the 15 infants in the nursery, one was rescued. Devastated parents gathered outside the hospital as rescue workers used ladders to reach the affected ward, with witnesses describing intense smoke and broken glass.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an immediate investigation into the tragedy. The incident is among the deadliest hospital fires in recent years in Pakistan, where government healthcare facilities are often under-resourced and criticized as mismanaged. The health minister attributed the fire to a blast in the nursery ward.
While reports consistently cite an exploding air conditioning unit as the cause, no further details regarding the specific malfunction have been released. The incident has prompted widespread grief and renewed scrutiny of safety standards in Pakistani hospitals.
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