At least 14 newborn babies died Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in the nursery of the Mother and Child Centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the country's largest government-run hospital, in Islamabad. It is among the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan in recent decades, according to CNN, Al Jazeera and The Washington Post.

What happened

The fire broke out around 6:45 a.m. local time on the third floor of the hospital's gynecology ward, where the nursery housed at least 15 newborns. Only one baby was rescued, by a doctor, before the fire spread. Accounts of the cause differ: rescue sources told CNN the blaze appeared to have started when an air-conditioning unit's compressor exploded inside the nursery, while a PIMS spokesperson said it appeared to have been caused by a short circuit. Six fire engines responded to the scene, according to the district administration.

A dimly lit, empty hospital corridor with warm overhead lighting, doors visible at the far end
A generic hospital corridor, used here for illustration only — this is not a photo of PIMS hospital.

Investigation ordered

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation into the fire, his office said. The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee and directed it to submit a report within 24 hours, tasked with determining the cause and spread of the fire, whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place at the nursery, and how emergency responders handled the incident. IF Daily has not independently verified the fire's cause and will update this story as confirmed details emerge.

Breaking news coverage of the fire at PIMS Hospital's nursery in Islamabad.
A firefighter sitting in the cab of a red fire engine marked City of Seattle Fire Dept
A firefighter and fire engine in Seattle, unrelated to this incident and used only to illustrate emergency response — IF Daily was unable to obtain photos from the scene in Islamabad.

The tragedy has drawn condolences from across Pakistan's government and renewed scrutiny of fire-safety standards at public hospitals, which have faced criticism in the past over aging infrastructure and inconsistent maintenance of critical equipment such as nursery air-conditioning and electrical systems.