A devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 newborn babies. The blaze erupted early Wednesday morning on the third floor of the facility’s Mother and Child Centre, with reports indicating that only one infant was successfully rescued from the nursery.
The fire, which broke out shortly before 7:00 a.m. local time, has since been extinguished. Preliminary information from rescue sources suggests that a short circuit in a malfunctioning air conditioning unit may have triggered the disaster. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the tragedy on social media, expressing his “deepest condolences to the bereaved families” and mandating “an immediate investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Prime Minister has pledged that those found responsible for the safety failures will face the “strictest action.” This incident marks one of the most severe hospital fires in the nation’s history, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding the state of public healthcare infrastructure, which frequently faces challenges related to overcrowding, mismanagement, and underfunding.
Building fires remain a recurring issue in Pakistan, often exacerbated by the routine neglect or poor enforcement of safety regulations and building codes. The country previously experienced a major tragedy in January, when a massive blaze at a crowded shopping complex in Karachi resulted in at least 65 deaths. The report also notes that at least 14 newborn babies have been killed in a fire that broke out in the nursery of a government-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, as he ordered an investigation.
Source: Al Jazeera
