Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say

What the report says

A fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad killed 14 newborn babies and left families describing confusion, smoke and delays as the blaze spread through a maternity ward on Wednesday morning, BBC World News reported. The fire is said to have started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the hospital’s mother-and-child unit. Of the 15 infants in the ward, only one was saved, according to the article.

Witnesses told the BBC and AFP that parents and relatives struggled to reach the babies, with some alleging the ward door was locked and that rescue efforts took too long. Others said staff were missing and that they had to break through barriers as firefighters and rescuers battled thick smoke. One hospital visitor said the building lacked proper fire security and exits, while another parent said she waited for hours and lost her three-day-old daughter.

Hospital executive director Rana Imran Sikander told the BBC the ward door was not locked, but was guarded for security reasons because of past baby thefts at government hospitals. Islamabad’s chief commissioner said rescue teams reached the scene immediately after the emergency call, according to AFP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow, ordered an immediate investigation and suspended the federal health secretary.

The deaths have renewed concern about fire safety in Pakistan’s public buildings, where poor enforcement of safety rules has often been blamed for deadly incidents.