Fourteen infants die in fire at Islamabad maternity ward, families allege delayed rescue
A blaze at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences' maternity unit killed 14 babies; witnesses say the ward door was locked and rescue response was slow, while officials dispute the lock claim.
A fire that started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad killed 14 infants on Wednesday morning. The blaze broke out in the mother-and-child unit, and only one of the 15 babies present survived.
Family members said they waited hours for help. One father told Reuters he had been visiting the ward for eight days and described the building as lacking fire safety measures and proper exits. Another parent said the ward door was locked, keeping families out for two hours before police arrived.
Rana Imran Sikander, the hospital's executive director, told the BBC that the door was not locked but staffed by security guards to prevent baby theft, a problem he said had occurred previously in government hospitals.
Witnesses reported that rescue teams had to break down doors and smash windows to reach the fire, and that they arrived roughly two hours after the incident began. Islamabad's Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams reached the scene immediately after the emergency call, according to AFP.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the tragedy and ordered an immediate investigation. The incident adds to a series of recent fires in Pakistan that have raised concerns about inadequate safety regulations and enforcement.