ISLAMABAD — At least 14 newborn babies died in a fire that broke out in the nursery of a government-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is “deeply saddened by this tragic incident” and ordered an immediate investigation into the fire, one of the deadliest in the country in recent decades.The fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Centre Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, according to media reports.Local broadcaster Geo TV, quoting hospital sources, put the death toll at 15.It said the blaze, which began shortly before 7 am local time (02:00 GMT), has now been extinguished. Hospital workers were able to rescue one infant, it added.In a statement on X, Sharif offered his “deepest condolences to the bereaved families” and directed authorities to conduct “an immediate investigation”.He promised that those responsible would face the “strictest action”.Geo TV cited rescue sources as saying that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.Outside the hospital, a grieving father told reporters his three-day-old baby had been killed in the fire.“No one can understand the pain I’m going through,” he said.A woman named Muneeba who was visiting family in the hospital described narrowly escaping with her nephew and sister-in-law as the fire began to spread.“Thank God our baby is safe,” she told CNN.Building fires are common in Pakistan, where safety regulations and building codes are routinely ignored or poorly enforced. In January, at least 65 people died when a massive fire swept through a crowded shopping complex in the southern port city of Karachi.Wednesday’s blaze is one of the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan’s history. While the government provides subsidised medical treatment through public hospitals, the state sector remains severely underfunded, mismanaged and overcrowded.
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