- 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, according to hospital management.
- The first emergency call was at 6:45am, with fire tenders and ambulances reaching the hospital within seven minutes.
- Firefighters had to break concrete grills and windows to rescue people because the building was inaccessible and filled with smoke.
- Access to the nursery was restricted as part of a longstanding policy to prevent infant stealing, which led to locked exits.
A fire in a Pakistan hospital's nursery has resulted in the deaths of 14 newborns, with only one infant rescued. The fire, attributed to a short circuit in the air-conditioning unit, occurred on the third floor of the hospital, where emergency exits were reportedly blocked.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene, stating that staff presence was minimal at the time of the fire. One relative recounted, “It was only due to her [the sister-in-law’s] courage and bravery that my sister, her newborn survived”, highlighting the desperate circumstances faced by families.
The Islamabad district administration confirmed that the first emergency call was made at 6:45 am, with fire services arriving within seven minutes. However, firefighters struggled to access the building, needing to break windows to rescue trapped individuals. A fireman noted, “When we tried to enter the building, it was inaccessible and we could see smoke coming out from the building”.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended the federal health secretary and initiated two inquiry committees to investigate the incident. This incident echoes a similar tragedy in June 2024, where a fire at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital resulted in the deaths of 11 babies, leading to arrests of hospital officials for negligence.
“The fire broke out on the third floor of the older wing, where emergency exits were blocked from inside as part of a policy to prevent infant stealing. Firefighters had to break concrete grills and windows to rescue people, with the first emergency call at 6:45am and response within seven minutes.”
