Pakistani investigators visit hospital nursery where fire killed 14 newborns

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed an investigating committee on Thursday to examine the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, where a fire killed 14 newborns on Wednesday. The fire, which occurred on the third floor, did not spread to other areas of the hospital. Hospital officials stated that only one baby among the 15 in the nursery was rescued as the blaze spread extremely quickly, claiming the lives of the other 14 infants.

The investigating committee, led by retired federal secretary Shahid Khan, will gather statements from hospital staff, witnesses, and the families of the deceased. They are expected to submit urgent recommendations to Sharif within 48 hours and a comprehensive report within five days. Initially, hospital and district officials attributed the fire to an exploding air-conditioning unit, but the hospital's preliminary report suggests that a blast involving a nebulizer sparked the blaze. The committee will independently determine the cause of the fire.

The deaths of the newborns have prompted authorities to order reviews of fire-safety measures and firefighting equipment at hospitals. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, instructed the Health Department to review fire-safety systems and emergency-response facilities. Prime Minister Sharif dismissed Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri following the incident.

Grieving parents have demanded answers about the cause of the fire and the nursery's firefighting equipment. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed sorrow over the tragedy and called for an urgent review and strengthening of fire-prevention and safety standards at health facilities. This fire ranks among Pakistan's deadliest recent tragedies involving children.