At least 14 infants die in a hospital fire in Pakistan

The blaze began in the early hours of Wednesday and engulfed the ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the biggest state hospital in Islamabad.

A statement by the hospital administration confirmed that 14 newborn babies had died in the fire.

Hospital spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil told Dawn newspaper that 15 babies were on the ward at the time and that “one baby was saved by a doctor”. Women who had just given birth were forced to run down several flights of stairs to evacuate.

The health minister, Mustafa Kamal, said many of the babies had been in incubators or on oxygen, and that the oxygen canisters had exacerbated the fire, according to The Guardian. 

Kamal suggested that the blaze had been caused by an air conditioner but investigators were still at the scene and authorities have not confirmed the cause. Repair works and construction were ongoing at the hospital.

MNA