At least 14 newborn babies died on Wednesday morning after a deadly fire broke inside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan.
According to international outlets, the deadly blaze erupted at 06:45 a.m. (local time) after an air conditioning unit exploded inside the maternity ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, one of the country’s biggest medical facilities.
It is reportedly believed that 15 newborn babies were inside the ward at the time of the tragedy, of which 14 have been confirmed dead. Their remains must now undergo DNA testing for identification.
Jaweria (C), who said she lost her child in the fire, reacts following a blaze at the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. (Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking with Geo News, Pakistani Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that the fire was caused by a short circuit, with the fires spreading through gas lines, plastic instruments, and accelerated by oxygen supply connections. Per the Minister, the babies died from suffocation.
According to the BBC, a hospital spokesperson confirmed that one of the fifteen babies was washed from the fire. 19 other individuals — ten women, seven children, and two men — were also rescued from the hospital. The fire has since been successfully contained by local firefighters.
The exact circumstances that caused the explosion and subsequent fire remain undetermined at press time. Rescue workers reportedly expressed that they found the hospital’s fire safety arrangements to be “extremely inadequate,” with no water at the fire point, and a fire hose with missing couplings.
A fact-finding committee has been assigned to produce initial findings within the next 24 hours. The hospital’s executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, told the BBC that the doors of the maternity ward were not locked, but “manned” instead.
At least 14 newborns died after a fire broke out in a nursery at a major government hospital in Pakistanâs capital Islamabad. (Photo by Bedirhan Demirel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“He said this was to protect babies from being stolen from the ward, something that has happened before at government hospitals,” the BBC wrote.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif published a statement expressing his condolences over the tragedy and announced that an inmediate investigation into the matter.
“The Prime Minister stated that such a situation with children is irreparable. A detailed review of the causes of the incident should be conducted, those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken,” the statement read in part.
“He is heartbroken by this distressing incident and shares equally in the parents’ grief. May Allah Almighty grant patience to the bereaved families.”