{
  "id": 3905807,
  "title": "From newborn joy to painful heartbreak",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/from-newborn-joy-to-painful-heartbreak",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T18:14:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Express Tribune - Pakistan",
    "slug": "the-express-tribune-pakistan",
    "url": "https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626152/from-newborn-joy-to-painful-heartbreak"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A hospital fire in Islamabad, Pakistan, not only destroyed a nursery but also claimed the lives of newborn babies, leaving families in shock and grief. For Idris Khan, the wait had lasted four years as he had spent days waiting to take his newborn son home. He had recited the azan into his baby's ear and had given him a name before preparing to bring him home, believing the child would only spend a few hours in the nursery. However, upon his return to collect his son, he found the nursery gate locked, smoke pouring from inside, and chaos in the ward. His son was no longer there, and the four years of anticipation had ended in a few precious hours with the loss of his son.\n\nAnother family suffered a similar fate, losing two newborns within three days. Their mother remained in intensive care, unaware of the tragedy unfolding around her. Tahir Khan, the maternal uncle of the babies, described the heartbreaking moment when he was handed the charred bodies of the children, leaving the family with questions and uncertainty. The families questioned why only the babies were left to burn, emphasizing their disbelief and disappointment in the hospital for not providing adequate protection to their newborns.\n\nIn the midst of the devastation, one baby girl survived the fire. Her maternal aunt rescued her, despite suffering burns herself. The aunt claimed she entered the ward at the time of the fire and lifted her niece from the nursery, while no doctor was found inside. The doctor had allegedly run away to save himself. For the families, the chaos and loss were unfathomable, as they had come to the hospital to hold and take their newborns home. The fire altered the hospital's functioning, refusing to accept new maternity cases due to the destruction of 15 nursery beds. Of the original 50 beds, only 35 remained, forcing families to be shifted to other hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. For the grieving families, the loss transcended the number of beds and hospital arrangements; their grief was rooted in the simple hopes and dreams associated with a newborn – a first embrace, a name whispered into a tiny ear, and the promise of a future together.",
  "summary": "Pain was no less raw for the mother of another newborn who died in the fire",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}