Hospital Fire in Pakistan Kills 14 Newborn Babies

A fire broke out in the maternity ward of a hospital in Pakistan’s capital on Wednesday, killing 14 children, according to the Islamabad district office.

The blaze erupted on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward at the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the district office said in a statement.

“Fourteen children died in the incident,” it said, without specifying their ages. The authorities did not immediately disclose what caused the fire.

Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said on X that rescue teams, specialists, police personnel and he himself “immediately reached the site and controlled the fire.” He said the emergency call was received shortly before 7:00 am (0200 GMT).

Building fires are relatively common in Pakistan, with poor safety standards, inadequate building codes and weak enforcement often cited as contributing factors.

In January, more than 65 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in Karachi. Another mall fire in the city claimed at least 11 lives in 2023.

In 2021, at least 16 workers died in a factory fire in Karachi. One of the country’s deadliest industrial fires occurred in 2012, when at least 250 workers were killed after a garment factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town caught fire. The building reportedly lacked a fire escape.