{
  "id": 3445670,
  "title": "Fire at Pakistan hospital maternity ward kills 14 children",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/fire-at-pakistan-hospital-maternity-ward-kills-14-children-3445670",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T05:49:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/26/fire-at-pakistan-hospital-maternity-ward-kills-14-children"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Wednesday, a fire broke out on the third floor of the maternity ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, resulting in the tragic loss of 14 children, the Islamabad district office reported. The cause of the fire was not specified. Rescue teams, specialists, police, and the Islamabad chief commissioner, Sohail Ashraf, arrived at the scene swiftly after receiving an emergency call around 7am (0200 GMT). The Islamabad chief commissioner confirmed that they managed to control the fire. Fires in large buildings are a recurring issue in Pakistan, often attributed to insufficient safety laws, inadequate building codes, and lax enforcement. For instance, in January, a shopping center fire in Karachi claimed the lives of over 65 people, while another fire in a shopping mall in the same city in 2023 left at least 11 dead. In 2021, a factory fire in Karachi resulted in the deaths of at least 16 workers, and in 2012, a garment factory fire in Baldia Town, western Karachi, claimed the lives of at least 250 laborers due to the absence of a fire escape.",
  "summary": "The blaze broke out on the third floor of the mother and child health ward at the public Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Fire at Pakistan hospital maternity ward kills 14 children",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/fire-at-pakistan-hospital-maternity-ward-kills-14-children",
        "published": "2026-08-26T05:49:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Bloomberg",
        "title": "Pakistan’s Sharif Orders Probe as Hospital Fire Kills 14 Infants",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/pakistans-sharif-orders-probe-as-hospital-fire-kills-14-infants",
        "published": "2026-08-26T06:00:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}