- Hospital fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistan, prompting national mourning.
- Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said the cause of the fire had not yet been definitively established, but initial findings suggested a malfunction in an air-conditioning unit.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set up a commission to investigate why the ward was locked and why no doctors were on site.
- Senator Sherry Rehman alleges 'gross negligence' across the board in response to the incident.
- Firefighters reported problems during the rescue operation, as a main entrance was blocked and they had to break open window grilles from the outside.
- Father Bahadur Khan mourned his three-day-old twin daughters, stating they could have been saved with better management.
Pakistan is grieving the loss of 14 newborns who perished in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) maternity ward in Islamabad. Only one infant was rescued from the flames, highlighting a tragic failure in hospital safety protocols.
The fire, which has left the nation in shock, is believed to have been caused by a malfunction in an air-conditioning unit, according to initial findings. Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry stated that the definitive cause of the fire remains under investigation.2
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established a commission to investigate why the ward was locked during the incident and the absence of medical staff. Senator Sherry Rehman criticized the situation, stating there was “gross negligence across the board.”
Rescue operations faced significant challenges, as firefighters reported that a blocked main entrance forced them to break open window grilles to access the ward. A grieving father, Bahadur Khan, lamented the loss of his two daughters, stating, “It is God's will that my daughters died. But they could have been saved if there had been better management.”
“Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said initial findings point to an air-conditioning malfunction, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a commission to investigate why the ward was locked and no doctors were present. Firefighters had to break window grilles after the main entrance was blocked, and a father mourned his three-day-old twin daughters, saying they could have been saved with better management.”
