Pakistan: 15 newborns killed in fire at Islamabad hospital
What's the story
A major fire broke out in the gynecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Wednesday, claiming the lives of 15 newborns. Only one infant could be rescued, Geo News reported. The fire is believed to have been triggered by an air-conditioner compressor explosion inside the nursery, rescue officials said.
Incident details
Fire broke out at around 7am
The fire broke out around 7:00am local time in the gynecology ward of PIMS.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene, battling the blaze and evacuating patients while conducting cooling operations.
The fire has since been extinguished, and teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site, rescue officials told local broadcaster GeoTV.
Hospital
Nurse reads out names of babies who had died
Outside the hospital, a nurse read out the names of babies who had died in the fire as their families gathered around.
"I lost my daughter. She was only three days old," a father told the AFP news agency.
"My wife was in the ward. They took everyone out. We were sitting on the road waiting for help."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an immediate investigation.
"Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken."