Islamabad:
At the very least 15 newborns had been killed after a fireplace broke out in a state-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital metropolis, Islamabad. The fireplace broke out within the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, the place 16 infants had been housed in a nursery.
Citing rescue officers, Pakistan’s Geo Information reported that just one new child may very well be rescued alive.
The broadcaster reported that the fireplace began after an air conditioner compressor exploded at 6:45am on Wednesday morning contained in the nursery on the hospital.
Movies of the rescue operation posted on social media confirmed firefighters coming into the nursery, situated on the third ground of the hospital, by breaking the glass of the window.
#Breaking
🚨At the very least 14 infants killed in hospital hearth in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad🔥In an incident of fireside at #PIMS Hospital in Islamabad, 14 kids misplaced their lives after a blaze broke out within the nursery. #Islamabad #Pakistan
▪️Rescue groups arrived on the scene. It… pic.twitter.com/BSmZMcq3fw— ⚡️🌎 World Information 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) August 26, 2026
District administration officers advised Geo Information that 14 newborns had been utterly charred within the hearth within the Maternal and Little one Well being (MCH) ward. The hospital has 156 beds in its MCH unit, in keeping with its web site.
Rescue officers mentioned that the blaze had been extinguished and groups had been finishing up cooling operations on the web site.
An inquiry committee has been fashioned underneath the chairmanship of the extra deputy commissioner to research the incident.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has launched an announcement expressing “deep sorrow and heartfelt remorse” over the tragedy. He mentioned that he has instructed authorities to “conduct a direct investigation.”
“Such a state of affairs with kids is irreparable”, the assertion learn.
PIMS is identical hospital the place former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was taken for medical examination after a court-mandated well being checkup.