Tragic Fire Claims Lives of Newborns in Pakistan Hospital

A devastating fire at a maternity ward in a major Islamabad hospital resulted in the deaths of at least 14 newborn babies, prompting urgent investigations.

At least 14 newborn babies have lost their lives in a tragic fire that broke out in the maternity ward of one of Pakistan’s largest state hospitals. The blaze began in the early hours of Wednesday, engulfing the ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, located in Islamabad.

A statement provided by the hospital administration confirmed that 14 newborns in the intensive care unit (ICU) perished in the fire. According to Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a spokesperson for the hospital, there were 15 babies present in the ward during the incident, and one baby was saved by a doctor.

The health minister, Mustafa Kamal, reported that many of the newborns were in incubators or dependent on oxygen, and that the oxygen canisters exacerbated the flames. Investigators revealed that the fire started from a faulty air conditioning unit, which exploded within the nursery while the infants were asleep.

Eyewitness Sardar Atti ur Rehman, 38, whose wife had given birth to a girl at the hospital the day before, was asleep in the hospital when the fire erupted. He rushed into the maternity ward as panic ensued, desperately searching for his wife and child. “I could not see my family, but kept searching,” he recounted, adding that he later found them both safe.

Rehman witnessed the chaos as thick smoke filled the room. “I saw a mother crying for her child in the ICU,” he said. “I tried to enter, but the smoke was too dense.” He expressed anger over the lack of staff presence at the ward, noting that families were left to fend for themselves while trying to escape.

Another father, who lost his newborn son in the fire, claimed that the nursery door was locked, with no staff available to unlock it. Rescuers had to smash the windows to reach the babies. Meanwhile, Sohail Ashraf, the chief commissioner of Islamabad, stated that emergency services were alerted shortly before 7 a.m., and police and rescue teams promptly responded to the scene.

The hospital administration announced that firefighters contained the blaze quickly and that children were immediately shifted to the ICU following the incident. Alamzaib Khan, 26, who had also been at the hospital for the birth of his daughter, described how he heard screams at dawn and rushed towards the ICU, only to find the smoke overwhelming.

“It was hard to see anything. People were crying and asking for help. It was a nightmare,” he said.

In response to this devastating incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation. “Such a situation involving children is irreparable,” he stated, urging authorities to identify those responsible and take strict action.

Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, offered condolences to the grieving families, describing the loss of life as heartbreaking. The country has a history of such fires in large buildings, often attributed to inadequate safety measures and lax enforcement of building codes.