ISLAMABAD — A fire killed 14 newborns in a nursery at a major government hospital in Pakistan’s capital early Wednesday, according to hospital officials and the government, which already has launched an investigation. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad housed at least 15 newborns in the nursery and at least one baby was rescued from the fire that began about 6:45 a.m. after an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery on the third floor, hospital and rescue officials said. The fire was confined to the nursery in the gynecology ward, while the rest of the hospital remained unaffected and there were no other injuries reported, according to hospital officials and witnesses. Television footage showed rescue workers using ladders to reach the area through broken windows. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed at least 14 children had died. “One baby was rescued by a doctor,” said Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson. She said the bodies of six babies had been handed over to their families, while the remaining bodies would be released soon. The deaths of the children sent a wave of shock and grief across the country. Police were deployed at the hospital as grieving parents and relatives gathered, some weeping while others called for accountability and demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment. A woman who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire erupted. She said hospital officials told families that the bodies would be released after the necessary paperwork was completed. “I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child. Malik Israr, whose niece was a patient in the gynecology ward, told the newspaper Dawn that it was troubling the nursery was housed in a building undergoing repairs and renovation. When the fire broke out, he said, patients were told to evacuate the building and women who had given birth a short time ago had to rush down the stairs. Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze and rescue teams began cooling operations at the site, local media reported. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf later said the fire had been extinguished and authorities were coordinating with the families. Within hours, the Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place and evaluate the emergency response, a government notification said. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the fire. “A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who ordered an immediate investigation. Hours later, Sharif held a high-level meeting and ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri to be removed from office, as well as expressing anger at other officials from relevant agencies in attendance, according to a government statement. The meeting, held despite a national holiday marking the eve of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, also resulted in the formation of a committee to investigate the fire, the statement said. President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.” Zardari called for those responsible to be identified and dealt with under the law and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures, particularly in wards caring for newborns. Kamal, the health minister, told local Geo News channel that he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to personally oversee the investigation. He said the director-general of health and the federal health secretary were already at PIMS, one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals, which recently was the site of a medical examination of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Officials were in contact with the families, according to Kamal, who said the immediate priority was to support the parents and return the infants’ bodies to them. Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press
