Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 newborns in NICU

At least 14 newborn babies have died following a severe fire in the intensive care unit of the maternity ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. The PIMS is the largest public hospital in the capital city.

The incident occurred early on Wednesday morning in the NICU, where 15 infants were receiving treatment. Reports indicate that the fire started due to a malfunction in an air conditioning unit within the room. The preliminary investigation suggests this fault led to an explosion.

Tragically, all but one of the infants in the NICU were on respiratory support. The fire caused oxygen tanks in the unit to explode, engulfing the room in flames and leading to the deaths of the 14 newborns. One medical professional managed to rescue a single infant from the devastating blaze.

Details emerged of a woman who had given birth the previous day and managed to escape the fire by running to a lower floor and jumping from a window. Media reports highlighted the harrowing circumstances, with the infants unable to escape the rapidly spreading flames and intense heat.