Pakistan’s Sharif Orders Probe as Hospital Fire Kills 14 Infants

A fire at a nursery in a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, killed 14 newborns. The nursery, located at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, housed at least 15 newborns when the fire broke out. According to CBS News, at least one baby was rescued.

The fire began at about 6:45 a.m., apparently after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery, which is part of the hospital's gynecology ward. Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze, and rescue teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and ordered an immediate investigation. A statement from his office confirmed that 14 newborns had died. Sharif said, "A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss."

Brief written by urgent.news from Bloomberg, CBS News, Daily Times, Associated Press, DW English (Top Stories) — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.