Fourteen infants killed in tragic fire at Pakistan hospital maternity ward

A fire at a maternity ward in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday tragically claimed the lives of 14 infants, according to Pakistani authorities. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) reported the incident, which occurred on the third floor of their Mother and Child Health Ward. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveyed the devastating news to the nation, alongside Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, both expressing profound grief and sorrow.

The prime minister emphasized that such a loss of children is irreparable. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire. The emergency call was received just before 7:00 am, and rescue and police teams swiftly arrived at the scene, extinguishing the blaze within hours. Outside the hospital, witnesses witnessed a woman in tears while a man removed glass from shattered windows.

The Islamabad chief commissioner, Sohail Ashraf, confirmed that emergency services reached the location promptly and managed to control the fire. Fires in large buildings are not uncommon in Pakistan, often attributed to weak safety laws, building codes, and inadequate enforcement. In January, over 65 individuals lost their lives in a shopping center fire in Karachi, while a similar incident in another Karachi mall in 2023 resulted in at least 11 fatalities.

In 2021, a factory fire in Karachi claimed the lives of at least 16 workers, and in 2012, a garment factory fire in Baldia Town left around 250 laborers dead, with the facility lacking proper fire exits.