Fire erupts in PIMS neonatal nursery
A fire broke out early on Wednesday morning in the neonatal nursery of the gynaecology ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, killing 14 newborn infants and leaving the ward gutted and blackened. The blaze ignited around 6:45–7:00 a.m. on the third floor of the hospital's Mother and Child Health Ward, where 15 or 16 newborns were housed, depending on the count given by different officials; one infant was rescued alive, according to the hospital and the Islamabad district administration. PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneeza Jalil told Dawn that the ward held 15 babies and that "at least one baby was saved by a doctor," while broadcaster Geo TV put the occupancy at 16 newborns with one survivor.
Air-conditioner blast and oxygen feed the flames
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo TV that "the fire erupted after a blast in (an) air conditioner" and that the presence of ample oxygen in the ward helped it spread rapidly, trapping infants in incubators and connected to oxygen supplies. Rescue officials and a PIMS spokesman told the BBC that the fire started in an air-conditioning unit and was "quickly ignited by oxygen connections." Television footage showed a charred ward with scattered equipment and smoke still rising, as emergency responders used ladders and broke windows to reach victims inside the smoke-filled nursery.
Government response and accountability measures
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths, ordered an immediate investigation and suspended Federal Secretary of Health Aslam Ghauri, according to Pakistan's information ministry. An inquiry committee under the Additional Deputy Commissioner General has been formed, with Islamabad's District Magistrate tasking the panel to deliver a fact-finding report within 24 hours. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams, police and specialists "immediately reached at site and controlled the fire" after an emergency call came in shortly before 7 a.m., and that six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances were deployed. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the BBC that seven babies, two men and 10 mothers were rescued and that the emergency response time was "approximately six to seven minutes."
Eyewitness accounts and safety concerns
Witnesses described chaotic evacuation scenes, with women who had just given birth rushing down stairs from the second floor after being told to vacate the building. A parent identified only as Mudasir told Reuters that the building "had no fire security, no proper exits. All doors were closed, only one door was (open) for us to visit our children." Another parent, Javeria, said "it was a gynaecology ward ... there was no doctor, no nurse" and that the bodies of the children were taken away "in boxes" without the mothers being allowed to see them; Health Minister Kamal denied that no staff were present. Police said the newborns were so severely burned that DNA testing was required to confirm their identities before bodies could be released to families, though Chaudhry later said all 14 had been handed over after identification was completed. President Asif Ali Zardari termed the deaths "heartbreaking and an irreparable loss," and Pakistani senators called for modernization of safety systems at medical centers.
Broader pattern of building fires in Pakistan
The PIMS fire ranks among the deadliest hospital blazes in Pakistan in recent years, a country where large-building fires are frequent and often attributed to weak safety laws, lax enforcement and poor building codes. Recent precedents cited in reporting include a January 2026 Karachi shopping center fire that killed more than 65 people, a 2023 Karachi shopping mall blaze that killed at least 11, a 2021 Karachi factory fire that killed at least 16 workers, and the 2012 Baldia Town garment factory fire in Karachi that killed at least 250 laborers in a building with no fire escape.
Next steps in the investigation
The inquiry committee formed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner General is expected to submit its findings, while the fact-finding committee ordered by the District Magistrate has been tasked with producing a report within 24 hours on the cause of the fire and the safety measures in place beforehand. The District Magistrate's panel is also expected to address accountability questions raised by eyewitness accounts of locked ward doors and absent exits, amid ongoing parliamentary calls for hospital safety reforms.
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