Fire Engulfs Newborn Nursery at PIMS, Investigation Underway
Blaze at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences nursery housed at least 15 infants; Prime Minister orders immediate inquiry.
Sarah Connor
A fire erupted early Wednesday at a nursery for newborns at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Pakistan's capital.
The nursery housed at least 15 newborns when the blaze erupted. Firefighters responded swiftly, extinguishing the inferno.
Police and ambulances converged outside the hospital building as authorities cordoned off the ward.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, stating, "A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss."
A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss.
A multiagency fact-finding committee has been appointed to investigate the cause, assess fire-safety measures, and review the emergency response.
The fire reportedly began at about 6:45am, igniting after an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery.
The blaze, which broke out in the gynaecology ward, is understood to have been triggered by a fault in the air conditioning system.
Hospital officials stated that bodies would be released once paperwork was completed. Official casualty figures are awaiting formal confirmation.
Emergency responders rescued at least 19 other people from the hospital; however, 14 infants reportedly died in the blaze.
Only one of the 15 babies present in the ward was saved, according to reports.
Grieving parents and relatives have claimed the nursery may not have had adequate firefighting equipment.
Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri was suspended following the incident. This follows an inferno at the Gul Plaza in Karachi last January that killed at least 72 people.