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🇳🇵 Nepal /Health & Science

At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • At least 14 infants died in a fire at a state-run hospital in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
  • The health minister attributed the blaze to a blast in the nursery ward's air conditioner.
  • The incident highlights under-resourced and often criticized healthcare facilities in the country.

A devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad has claimed the lives of at least 14 infants. The tragedy occurred Wednesday morning in the hospital's mother and child health ward, with the health minister attributing the blaze to an air conditioner explosion.

The fire erupted after a blast in (an) air conditioner.

— Mustafa KamalPakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal explained the suspected cause of the fire.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo TV that the fire erupted after a blast in an air conditioner unit, and the ample oxygen in the ward likely contributed to its rapid spread. The incident is one of the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan in recent years, a country where state-run healthcare facilities are frequently criticized for mismanagement, under-resourcing, and being overburdened.

Television footage depicted a severely damaged and blackened ward, with scattered equipment. Reports indicate that 16 newborns were in the ward when the fire broke out, and only one was rescued. Grief-stricken women gathered outside the hospital, with one mother, Javeria, expressing her anguish and disbelief. "It is not God’s will... I don’t accept it," she said, lamenting that the children's bodies were taken away without her seeing them.

It is not God’s will... I don’t accept it.

— JaveriaA grieving mother, Javeria, expressed her disbelief and pain after losing her newborn in the fire.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended the health secretary and ordered an investigation into the incident. Another parent, Mudasir, pointed to a lack of fire safety and proper exits in the building. "The building that housed the ward had no fire security, no proper exits. All doors were closed; only one door was open for us to visit our children," he stated. The health minister denied accusations that no staff were present during the fire.

The building that housed the ward had no fire security, no proper exits. All doors were closed; only one door was open for us to visit our children.

— MudasirA parent, Mudasir, described the inadequate safety measures in the hospital ward.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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