Maternity ward fire in Islamabad kills 14 newborns as rescue delays reported

At dawn on Wednesday, a blaze erupted in the mother and child unit at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, killing 14 newborns and leaving one infant rescued from the third-floor ward, hospital officials and eyewitnesses said.

The fire began in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the maternal and child health unit, which has 156 beds, and spread through the ward while parents and relatives tried to evacuate infants, witnesses reported.

Relatives said they heard shouts and saw thick black smoke; some rushed down stairwells carrying babies. Several witnesses said the maternity-ward door was locked and that rescue teams and police arrived after a delay, with people forced to break doors and smash windows to reach patients.

Hospital executive director Rana Imran Sikander said the ward door was manned, citing measures to prevent infant theft, while Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams reached the scene immediately after the emergency call, according to AFP.

Relatives described long waits for help. A father who had been visiting the ward said the building lacked fire security and proper exits. Another eyewitness said rescue teams arrived after almost two hours; hospital staff and officials gave differing accounts of response times.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and ordered an immediate investigation, according to a statement from his office. The prime minister also suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri following the incident.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The report presents multiple eyewitness accounts of delayed rescue response and claims of locked or manned ward access alongside official statements asserting prompt action; an investigation has been ordered and a senior health official suspended, as noted in the source material.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Fire erupted in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of PIMS mother and child unit in Islamabad.
• Fourteen newborns died and one infant was rescued from the ward.
• Eyewitnesses reported delayed rescue response and difficulties accessing the ward; officials gave differing statements and an investigation was ordered.