Pakistan hospital fire kills at least 14 babies

A fire at a state-run hospital in Islamabad claimed the lives of at least 14 infants on Wednesday, with the prime minister attributing the tragedy to faulty air conditioning, according to local media. The blaze erupted in the maternity ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital around 7am local time, as reported by Geo TV.

The death toll was initially cited at 15 by the broadcaster, with one infant reportedly rescued. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed an immediate investigation into the incident, which is one of the deadliest hospital fires in recent years in Pakistan. Government healthcare is subsidized, yet facilities are often under-resourced and overburdened, frequently criticized by watchdogs for mismanagement.

The prime minister's office emphasized the need to identify those responsible and impose the strictest action. The affected ward was cordoned off, and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building, according to a Reuters witness. Grief-stricken parents outside the hospital demanded justice, with one mother tearfully pleading, "Give me my child."

Another father lamented, "We want justice. All doors of the ward, except one, were shut, and there was no fire security in the ward." Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was briefly treated at the hospital last week, issued no immediate comment on the tragedy. The hospital, one of the main public healthcare facilities in Islamabad, serves a city of approximately 1.1 million people.