In brief
At dawn on Wednesday, a blaze erupted in the maternity unit of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, killing 14 babies. Witnesses report that the ward door was locked, forcing families to break in amid smoke while rescue teams arrived hours later. Hivsa Walid and others described chaotic losses and a lack of fire safety protocols. Hospital officials denied that the door was locked, citing security concerns for theft of infants, but critics argue that the door’s status hindered evacuation. Government officials have suspended key health officials and called for a rapid investigation.
Islamabad, Pakistan – At dawn on Wednesday, a sudden blaze broke out inside the maternity ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the capital’s largest state‑run hospital. The fire, believed to have started in an air‑conditioning unit on the third floor, rapidly engulfed the neonatal unit and left 14 infants dead.
Hivsa Walid, who was staying in a nearby room, recounted how she and her sister‑in‑law heard a shout, saw thick smoke, and fled with a baby that still lacked a name. "We didn’t even think about our belongings. We just grabbed the baby and rushed downstairs," Walid told reporters. She added that during the chaos the hospital’s only accessible exit seemed to have been locked.
The mother of a victim, Jaweria, told AFP that the ward door had been locked for hours, causing her to cry for four hours until police arrived. She questioned why doctors had left the babies in danger, adding, “Babies burnt to death there, but nobody could save them.”
Rana Imran Sikander, PIMS’s executive director, later explained that the ward door was manned to deter theft, a problem “without which newborns could be taken by visitors.” Critics argue that the lockdown effectively trapped patients during the blaze.
Witnesses also claimed staff were absent during the outbreak, forcing families to break down walls and windows to escape. Abdul Ghafoor described the thick black smoke that trapped infants and the emergency team’s arrival “almost two hours” later.
The fire has amplified concerns over Pakistan’s lax building codes and weak enforcement of fire safety in public buildings. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and ordered a comprehensive investigation, while suspending Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri. Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf reports that rescue teams arrived promptly after the emergency call, though the delayed response contributed to the tragedy.
