Hospital fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistani capital

Grief-stricken relatives appeared outside the hospital (AP)

Fourteen babies have died after a fire erupted at a nursery for newborns in a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital, officials said.

The nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad housed at least 15 newborns when the fire broke out, hospital officials said. At least one baby was rescued.

Rescue officials said the fire began at about 6.45am local time (2.45am BST), apparently after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery, which is part of the hospital’s gynaecology ward.

Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze, and rescue teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site, local media reported.

Within hours, the Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multi-agency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours.

The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire safety measures were in place and evaluate the emergency response, a government notification said.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the fire.

“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Mr Sharif, who ordered an immediate investigation.

President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss”.

Mr Zardari called for those responsible to be identified and dealt with under the law and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures, particularly in wards caring for newborns.

The deaths of the children sent a wave of shock and grief across the country.

Police were deployed at the hospital as grieving parents and relatives gathered, some weeping, while others called for accountability and demanded answers about how the fire began, and questioned whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.