Hospital nursery fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistan's capital, officials
order immediate inquiry
[August 26, 2026]
By MUNIR AHMED
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A fire erupted early Wednesday in a nursery for
newborns at a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital, killing
14 babies, according to hospital officials and the government.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad housed at least
15 newborns in the nursery when the fire broke out, hospital officials
said.
At least one baby was rescued, officials said, while Federal Health
Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed at least 14 babies had died.
Rescue officials said the fire began about 6:45 a.m. after an
air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery in the
gynecology ward.
Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze and rescue
teams began cooling operations at the site, local media reported.
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf later said the fire had been
extinguished and authorities were coordinating with the families.
Within hours, the Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency
fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24
hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread,
determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place and
evaluate the emergency response, a government notification said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
expressed sorrow over the fire.
“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who
ordered an immediate investigation.
President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families,
describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.”
Zardari called for those responsible to be identified and dealt with
under the law and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety
measures and emergency procedures, particularly in wards caring for
newborns.
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Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the
hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP
Photo/M.Yousaf)
The deaths of the children sent a wave of shock and grief across the
country. Police were deployed at the hospital as grieving parents
and relatives gathered, some weeping while others called for
accountability and demanded answers about how the fire began and
whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.
Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby
was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire erupted.
“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears.
“I have lost my child.”
Hospital officials told families that the bodies would be released
after the necessary paperwork was completed, Sami said.
Kamal, the health minister, told local Geo News channel that he was
traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to personally oversee the
investigation.
He said the director-general of health and the federal health
secretary were already at PIMS, one of Islamabad’s largest public
hospitals, which recently was the site of a medical examination of
imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Officials were in contact with the families, according to Kamal, who
said the immediate priority was to support the parents and return
the infants’ bodies to them.
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