15 Infants Die in Islamabad Hospital Fire

Fifteen infants died on Wednesday following a fire that broke out in the neonatal unit of the women’s wing at Pakistan’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, according to officials. The unit housed 16 newborns at the time; only one survived.

Origin and Spread of the Fire

Rescue teams reported the fire ignited at 6:45 a.m. local time after an air-conditioning compressor exploded inside the neonatal unit. Islamabad Capital Territory administration confirmed the blaze started on the third floor of the mother-and-child wing and fully consumed 14 infants.

According to rescue sources, fire suppression arrangements were “grossly inadequate”: no water was available at the fire point, fire hose couplings were missing, and designated emergency exits were locked—raising serious concerns about the hospital’s preparedness for fire emergencies. Rescue sources also stated no doctors, ward staff, or other personnel were present inside the neonatal unit at the time of the incident.

Official Response and Accountability Measures

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and called for “the strictest possible measures” against anyone found responsible. He expressed grief over the children’s deaths, describing such a tragedy as “irreparable,” and directed authorities to conduct a detailed review of the factors that led to the fire and to assign accountability.

Sharif convened an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office attended by concerned officials and heads of relevant institutions to determine responsibility for the fire. The Islamabad Capital Territory administration formed an eight-member investigation committee chaired by the Additional Deputy Commissioner. Committee members include the Director General of Emergency Services, the Islamabad City Police Director, the Assistant Commissioner of Zone I-9, two Directors General from the Capital Development Authority, and representatives from Islamabad Electric Supply Company and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

The committee is mandated to submit its report within 24 hours.

Cause and Contributing Factors

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazl Chaudhry attributed the fire to an electrical short circuit and said most infants died from suffocation. He stated doctors, nurses, and other staff were present during the incident and remained unharmed. He added the fire spread due to gas lines and plastic equipment inside the hospital, and oxygen supplies also contributed to flame propagation.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News that authorities are in contact with the infants’ guardians. He confirmed the fire spread “very rapidly” and that electricity failed across the hospital immediately after the explosion. Kamal noted the Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences was present at the scene and maintained continuous communication with him.

Hospital Background and Broader Safety Concerns

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, established in 1985, is the largest government hospital in Islamabad and one of the two oldest health facilities in the federal capital. It comprises multiple hospitals and teaching institutes.

Pakistan regularly experiences fires in large buildings and infrastructure, amid criticism over weak safety and construction standards and limited enforcement of related laws.

In January, a fire at a commercial center in the coastal city of Karachi killed more than 65 people. Another fire at a commercial center in the same city in 2023 claimed at least 11 lives. In 2021, at least 16 workers died in a factory fire in Karachi. In 2012, a fire swept through a garment factory in Baldia Town, west of Karachi, killing no fewer than 250 workers—the country’s worst fire disaster—inside a building lacking an emergency exit.