At least 14 infants have been killed after a fire broke out at a state-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday.
The blaze started at about 7 a.m. local time at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), on the third floor of the hospital’s mother and child health ward.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.
Local broadcaster Geo TV reported that the fire may have been caused by a fault in the ward’s air-conditioning system and put the death toll at 15.
There were 16 newborns in the ward when the fire broke out, with one infant reportedly rescued.
“Give me my child,” Javeria, who lost her newborn, said outside the hospital, where ambulances had gathered. “I want justice.”
The incident is one of the deadliest hospital fires reported in Pakistan in recent years, highlighting concerns over the condition of the country’s public healthcare facilities.
Government healthcare in Pakistan is subsidised, but many public hospitals are under-resourced and overcrowded. Watchdog groups have also repeatedly criticised the management and safety standards of state-run facilities.
The affected ward was cordoned off following the fire, according to a Reuters witness.
Mudasir, another parent who lost his child, said all but one of the ward’s doors were shut when the fire broke out and that there was “no fire security” in the ward.
Javeria and Mudasir both gave only their first names.
There was no immediate comment from PIMS or authorities on the cause of the fire or the reported safety concerns.
PIMS is one of Islamabad’s main public hospitals and is centrally located in the city, which has a population of about 1.1 million.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was briefly treated at the hospital last week.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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