Pakistan hospital fire: Nurse haunted by 14 babies she could not save after 8-second rescue
She saved baby in 8 seconds. The 14 she lost haunt her
Razia Noreen, a nurse at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), acted instinctively when a fire erupted in the newborn nursery on August 26. She had just 8 seconds to save a single baby before conditions in the nursery rapidly deteriorated. During her rescue, she managed to lift one baby into her arms and carry it out while another nurse assisted from behind.
Tragically, 14 newborns perished as the fire and smoke made conditions unbearable. Noreen, who has received the prestigious Sitara-i-Khidmat award, remains haunted by her inability to save the other babies. She describes the experience as that of a mother protecting her own child. Despite the accolades and potential financial rewards, Noreen continues to struggle with the trauma of the tragedy, suffering from sleepless nights and physical illness.
The fire has also sparked investigations into fire safety at PIMS, with initial reports suggesting an exploding air-conditioning unit or a nebuliser blast as the cause.
Written by urgent.news from Gulf News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
