Fourteen newborn babies have been killed after a devastating fire swept through a neonatal ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, with only one of the 15 babies inside reported to have survived.
The fire broke out on the third floor of the hospital’s Mother and Child unit on Wednesday morning, prompting a major emergency response at one of Pakistan’s largest public hospitals.
BPI News has spoken to one person who lost their child in the fire. We are not naming them out of respect for their privacy at an extraordinarily difficult time.
They could barely speak and were devastated as they attempted to come to terms with the loss of their baby.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them and all the parents and families who have lost their children in the tragedy.
PIMS Doctor Speaks To BPI News
A PIMS doctor who spoke to BPI News on condition of anonymity said there were 15 babies inside the affected ward.
“At least one baby was saved by a doctor,” she said.
PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil has also confirmed that 14 newborn babies died and one was rescued.
The babies inside the fire-hit ward were either being cared for in incubators or connected to oxygen equipment, according to Health Minister Mustafa Kamal.
Fire Reportedly Started In Air-Conditioning Unit
Initial accounts indicate that the fire began in an air-conditioning unit.
A PIMS spokesperson said the blaze was then rapidly intensified by oxygen connections in the ward.
Oxygen itself is not flammable, but an oxygen-rich environment can dramatically accelerate combustion, causing other materials to ignite more easily and fires to burn hotter and spread faster.
The precise sequence of events and the reason the fire was able to cause such a devastating loss of life remain subject to an official investigation.
Emergency teams eventually brought the blaze under control.
At least 19 people were rescued from the hospital, according to emergency responders, including 10 women, seven children and two men. Those requiring further treatment were taken to intensive care.
Families Wait Outside PIMS
Heartbreaking scenes followed outside the hospital as families gathered seeking information about their newborn children.
Parents who had been at PIMS following the births of their babies were seen being consoled outside the building, while police, firefighters, ambulances and hospital staff remained at the scene.
One father said his three-day-old baby had died.
Another woman who had been inside the hospital with her sister-in-law described hearing shouting at around 6am before seeing smoke. She and her sister-in-law grabbed the newborn baby they were caring for and fled from a nursery opposite the room where the fire began.
Shattered glass remained outside parts of the hospital following the emergency response.
DNA Tests Needed To Identify Babies
Police have said some of the newborn babies who died were so badly burnt that DNA testing will be required to formally identify them.
The bodies can then be returned to their families following identification, according to authorities.
The announcement came as grieving parents sought the return of their children’s bodies.
PIMS is one of Islamabad’s largest state-run hospitals. Its Maternal and Child Health unit has 156 beds and provides care to mothers, babies and children from the capital and surrounding areas.
Shehbaz Sharif Orders Immediate Investigation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed “deep sorrow and heartfelt regret” over the deaths and ordered an immediate investigation into the fire.
Sharif offered his condolences to the families of the children and said the loss was irreparable.
Islamabad’s District Magistrate has separately formed a fact-finding committee tasked with establishing the circumstances and cause of the blaze.
The committee has been ordered to submit its findings within 24 hours.