A fire swept through the newborn ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad early Wednesday, killing 15 infants and leaving one survivor. The blaze started around 7 a.m. local time on the third floor of the hospital's mother and child health unit. Hospital officials told Geo TV that an air-conditioning fault triggered the fire.
Sixteen newborns were in the ward when the fire broke out. One was rescued. Ambulances gathered outside the building as the ward was cordoned off.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to open an immediate investigation. "Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken," his office said in a statement.
PIMS is one of Islamabad's primary public hospitals. Government-run health facilities across Pakistan are subsidized but widely described as under-resourced and overburdened. Watchdog organizations have repeatedly cited poor management at state hospitals, and PIMS has faced scrutiny over conditions before.
