- The fire broke out on the third floor of the older wing, which has one main entrance and exit; emergency exits were blocked from inside.
- The fire was caused by a short circuit in the nursery's air-conditioning unit; the nursery had 15 newborns at the time, and only one was rescued.
- The first emergency call was logged at 6:45am, with fire tenders and ambulances reaching the hospital within seven minutes; however, an official from Rescue 1122 reported that his station received word at 6:55am and arrived less than 10 minutes later.
- Firefighters had to break concrete grills and windows to rescue people because the building was inaccessible and filled with smoke.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation and suspended the federal health secretary, Aslam Ghaury; two inquiry committees have been formed.
- Relatives reported little to no staff presence in the morning and that exits were locked; hospital officials said access was restricted to prevent baby stealing.
A devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday morning claimed the lives of 14 newborns, igniting public outrage over locked exits that hindered rescue efforts. The fire, attributed to a short circuit in the nursery's air-conditioning unit, occurred around 6:30am when the nursery housed 15 infants, of whom only one was saved.28910
Witnesses reported that the emergency exits were blocked, a practice attributed to security measures against infant theft. One family member lamented, "We have no clarity on what is going on, and what we need to do now," highlighting the chaos during the incident. Firefighters faced significant challenges accessing the building, with one stating, "When we tried to enter the building, it was inaccessible and we could see smoke coming out from the building."5
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended health secretary Aslam Ghaury and initiated two separate inquiries to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire. This incident follows a similar tragedy in June 2024, where a fire at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital resulted in the deaths of 11 infants, leading to arrests of hospital officials for negligence.67
The Islamabad district administration confirmed that the first emergency call was made at 6:45am, with rescue teams arriving shortly after. However, the delayed response and blocked exits have raised serious questions about hospital safety protocols and emergency preparedness.34
“The fire was caused by a short circuit in the nursery's air-conditioning unit, and only one of 15 newborns was rescued. Emergency exits were blocked from inside, and staff kept doors locked to prevent baby stealing, according to officials.”
