ISLAMABAD | Fourteen newborn babies were killed early Wednesday when a fire broke out in a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of the largest government hospitals in Pakistan’s capital, officials said.
The nursery had at least 15 infants when the fire started at about 6:45 a.m. local time. One baby was rescued, according to hospital officials. Rescue authorities said the blaze apparently began after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery in the hospital’s gynecology ward.
The fire was brought under control by firefighters, while rescue teams carried out cooling operations inside the ward. The blaze was confined to the nursery, according to the Associated Press, although the circumstances of the deaths and the speed of the emergency response are now under investigation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. The government has formed a fact-finding committee to determine the cause of the fire, assess whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place and examine the emergency response. The committee was instructed to submit its findings within 24 hours.
The tragedy has also raised questions about fire safety in Pakistan’s public hospitals. Relatives gathered outside PIMS demanding answers, with some alleging that the nursery’s emergency exits and safety arrangements were inadequate. Authorities have not yet confirmed those allegations.
The deaths come against a wider backdrop of concerns over enforcement of building and fire-safety regulations in Pakistan. Analysts and officials have repeatedly cited weak enforcement and inadequate safety standards as factors contributing to deadly building fires in the country.
PIMS is a major public medical facility serving Islamabad and surrounding areas and provides specialized care to patients who rely heavily on the country’s government health system. The investigation is expected to determine whether equipment failure alone caused the deaths or whether failures in hospital safety and emergency procedures also contributed.
The tragedy has prompted renewed calls for stronger fire prevention systems, functioning emergency exits and regular safety inspections in hospitals, particularly in wards caring for vulnerable newborns.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
