{
  "id": 3505643,
  "title": "14 newborn babies killed in hospital fire in Pakistan’s capital",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/14-newborn-babies-killed-in-hospital-fire-in-pakistans-capital",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T12:24:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/14-newborn-babies-killed-in-hospital-fire-in-pakistans-capital/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fire at a maternity ward in Pakistan's Islamabad Hospital claimed the lives of at least 14 newborn infants on Wednesday morning. The blaze broke out on the third floor of the hospital's mother and child unit, one of the city's main state-run facilities. An air conditioning unit is believed to have ignited the fire, quickly spreading through the oxygen-rich environment and setting multiple incubators and oxygen equipment ablaze. Of the 15 babies present in the ward, only one was rescued, while the remainder tragically perished. Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that all victims were either in incubators or on oxygen support. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has since suspended Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, expressing \"deep anger\" at certain officials, and is leading a high-level investigation into the incident. Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes with thick smoke, broken glass, and slow emergency response times. One witness claimed rescuers took hours to arrive, while another witnessed the thick smoke and trapped patients. Hivsa Walid, who was inside the hospital when the fire started, described the harrowing experience of rescuing her niece and nephew from the nursery. The 19 survivors, including 10 women, seven children, and two men, were also rescued from the inferno. The hospital's District Magistrate has formed a committee to investigate the cause of the fire and deliver a report within 24 hours. The tragic event has sparked shock and outrage among the families gathered outside the hospital. Pakistan has faced numerous major fires in recent years, often attributed to weak safety regulations and enforcement. In January, a fire at Karachi's Gul Plaza shopping center left 67 people dead.",
  "summary": "At least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire on a hospital ward in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Pakistan hospital fire kills at least 14 babies",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/pakistan-hospital-fire-kills-at-least-14-babies",
        "published": "2026-08-26T04:53:11.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "14 babies die in Pakistan hospital blaze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/14-babies-die-in-pakistan-hospital-blaze",
        "published": "2026-08-26T05:42:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Fourteen infants killed in tragic fire at Pakistan hospital maternity ward",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/fourteen-infants-killed-in-tragic-fire-at-pakistan-hospital-maternity",
        "published": "2026-08-26T06:33:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Black smoke chokes Pakistan maternity ward as hospital fire kills 14 infants",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/black-smoke-chokes-pakistan-maternity-ward-as-hospital-fire-kills-14",
        "published": "2026-08-26T08:26:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "‘Black smoke’ chokes Pakistan maternity ward as hospital fire kills 14 infants",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/black-smoke-chokes-pakistan-maternity-ward-as-hospital-fire-kills-14-3481207",
        "published": "2026-08-26T08:47:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Khaosod English",
        "title": "Hospital nursery fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistan’s capital while 1 baby is rescued",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/hospital-nursery-fire-kills-14-newborns-in-pakistans-capital-while-1",
        "published": "2026-08-26T09:57:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Pakistan: At least 14 newborns die in hospital fire",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/pakistan-at-least-14-newborns-die-in-hospital-fire",
        "published": "2026-08-26T11:26:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KahawaTungu",
        "title": "At least 14 babies die in Pakistan hospital fire",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/at-least-14-babies-die-in-pakistan-hospital-fire",
        "published": "2026-08-26T11:26:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/door-was-locked-at-pakistan-hospital-where-fire-killed-14-babies",
        "published": "2026-08-26T11:55:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}