A fire broke out in the maternity ward of Pakistan's premier public hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday, killing 14 infants and triggering a major rescue operation, Pakistani authorities said. The blaze erupted in the Mother and Child Health Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with officials blaming a faulty air-conditioning unit for the deadly incident. The fire broke out at dawn on the third floor of the hospital, according to a statement from the Islamabad district office. The blaze quickly filled parts of the maternity ward with thick smoke, creating dangerous conditions for newborns, families and hospital staff.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that all 14 people who died in the incident were infants, underscoring the devastating impact of the fire on the hospital's most vulnerable patients. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said preliminary findings from CCTV footage indicated that the fire originated from an air conditioner. According to the minister, the footage showed a spark falling from the air-conditioning unit before the flames spread rapidly through the ward. He said the fire moved through the area within about a minute, leaving little time for hospital staff to respond and evacuate those inside.
Authorities said 19 people, including seven children, were rescued from the affected area. Emergency teams and hospital personnel worked to evacuate patients as the fire spread and smoke engulfed the ward. The rescue effort focused on moving those who could be reached safely away from the affected section of the building while firefighters tackled the blaze. The incident also prompted scrutiny of the hospital's emergency response and evacuation arrangements. Witnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes, including heavy black smoke and broken glass.
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They also reported a slow response from emergency services and alleged that security guards prevented some people from leaving the building. The accounts have raised questions about whether existing fire-safety and evacuation procedures were adequate for an emergency involving a maternity ward. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is a major public healthcare facility in the Pakistani capital and serves large numbers of patients. A fire in a maternity and child-health facility presents particular challenges because newborns and critically ill patients cannot evacuate independently and must be carried or moved by medical personnel.
The rapid spread of the blaze therefore increased the risks faced by both patients and staff. The reported cause of the fire was an air-conditioning malfunction, but the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the emergency response are likely to face further scrutiny. Officials have cited CCTV footage as evidence of how the blaze began, while witness accounts have drawn attention to conditions inside the hospital during the incident. A full assessment will be needed to establish how the fire spread so quickly and whether any failures in safety procedures contributed to the loss of life.
The deaths of 14 infants have made the Islamabad hospital fire one of the country's most serious recent hospital tragedies. While 19 people were rescued, including seven children, the loss of newborn lives has intensified concerns about fire preparedness in healthcare facilities. Authorities will now face pressure to determine the precise sequence of events, examine the hospital's safety arrangements and establish whether measures could have prevented the tragedy or enabled a faster evacuation.
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