Islamabad: At least 14 newborn babies, including a pair of twins, were burnt alive after a fire broke out at the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad on Wednesday morning, while one baby was rescued, officials said.
PIMS Deputy Executive Director (Non-Medical) Dr Aneza Jalil confirmed the death of 14 newborns in the incident, while the Islamabad district administration constituted an inquiry committee headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner General to determine the cause of the fire.
According to the district administration, the fire broke out on the third floor of the MCH Centre. Six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances participated in the rescue operation and the blaze was brought under control before the affected children were shifted to the intensive care unit.
The administration said a total of 14 children were severely burnt in the incident. The inquiry committee would investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire and determine its cause.
Hospital records showed that 15 newborns were present in the affected nursery, of whom 14 died while one newborn, the child of Asifa and Waqas, was rescued.
Among the deceased were twin newborns of Asia Bibi and Bahadur, listed in the hospital record as Twin One and Twin Two.
The remaining deceased newborns were children of women identified in the hospital record as Javeria, Alia, Anees Khalid, Shakeela, Sidra, Sumbal, Kiran Fatima, Aamna, Maria, Khizra, Hafsa and Aroosa Saeed. One of the newborns was listed as a medico-legal case.
The fire triggered panic among parents, attendants and hospital staff as rescue personnel rushed to the MCH Centre and the affected area was cordoned off.
The exact cause of the blaze remained unclear immediately after the incident. Initial reports pointed towards a possible fault in the air-conditioning system, but officials said the cause would be established through the inquiry.
The committee is also expected to examine the circumstances in which the fire spread through the nursery and the response to the emergency.
The incident has raised questions about fire-safety arrangements at the federal capital’s largest public-sector hospital, particularly the availability and functioning of fire detection, suppression and emergency evacuation systems in areas housing critically ill newborns.
Further details were awaited as PIMS, health authorities and the district administration continued assessing the incident.
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