Locked inside: Grief and anger as Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 newborns

What the report says

A fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad killed 14 newborns on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting, turning a critical-care nursery in the capital’s largest public hospital into a deadly scene of smoke, panic and unanswered questions. The babies were in the nursery on the third floor of the older wing of the Mother and Child Hospital when the fire broke out; only one infant was rescued, hospital management said.

Relatives and witnesses described a chaotic evacuation effort, with some saying doors and emergency exits were locked and that staff presence was limited when the blaze began. Others said rescuers had to break through concrete grilles and windows to reach the ward. Hospital officials said the fire was caused by a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit, while some accounts from the scene suggested access restrictions were part of a longstanding policy aimed at protecting infants from theft.

The fire has prompted official action. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation, and federal health secretary Aslam Ghaury was suspended. Two inquiries — one by the Islamabad district administration and another by the prime minister’s office — are expected to examine what failed, including possible issues with staffing, emergency access and hospital safety measures.

The disaster has renewed concern about hospital fire preparedness in Pakistan. Al Jazeera noted a similar fatal ward fire in Punjab in 2024 that killed 11 babies, underscoring broader worries about maintenance, emergency exits and oversight in public medical facilities.