A devastating fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a nursery for newborns at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, resulting in the deaths of 14 infants. According to hospital and government officials, the nursery was housing at least 15 newborns when the blaze erupted at approximately 6:45 a.m. One baby was successfully rescued from the scene.
The incident originated in the hospital's gynecology ward following an explosion in an air-conditioning unit compressor. Firefighters arrived promptly to extinguish the flames, and rescue teams subsequently initiated cooling operations at the site. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf confirmed that the fire had been brought under control and that authorities were working to coordinate with the affected families.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Islamabad district magistrate established a multiagency fact-finding committee tasked with submitting a formal report within 24 hours. This panel is charged with investigating the specific cause of the fire, determining how it spread, evaluating the effectiveness of the emergency response, and assessing whether the facility had maintained adequate fire-safety protocols.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to oversee the investigation, stated that his primary priority is supporting the families and ensuring the infants' bodies are returned to them. He noted that the director-general of health and the federal health secretary were already on-site at the hospital. Mohammad Sami, a parent whose child was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire started, expressed deep grief, stating, "I don't know what to say or whom to blame. I have lost my child."
High-level government officials have responded to the incident with expressions of sorrow. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the event as an "irreparable loss" and ordered an immediate investigation. President Asif President Asif President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, calling the deaths "heartbreaking." He urged that those responsible be identified and held accountable under the law, and stressed that hospitals must ensure rigorous fire-safety measures and emergency procedures, particularly in wards dedicated to newborn care. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed his condolences as police were deployed to the hospital to manage the scene, where grieving parents gathered to demand accountability.
Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. M. Yousaf/AP hide caption
