Disasters & Incidents
Islamabad hospital fire: 8 suspended after 14 infants die
Pakistan has suspended eight officials after a fire killed 14 infants in the maternity ward of a hospital in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.
Sharif said late Saturday that those responsible for criminal negligence would be brought to justice. He also approved action against the company responsible for the hospital's security, without naming it.
The fire broke out just after 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. A preliminary report by a four-person committee formed by Sharif found the blaze engulfed the unit within about two minutes. It said a nurse was able to save one of the 15 infants in the hospital's care.
Those suspended include hospital staff, among them the executive director and the head of the neonatal department, as well as the director-general of Islamabad's emergency services.
The preliminary report said emergency services were called within six minutes of the fire breaking out and the first rescue services arrived 15 minutes later. Parents and other witnesses told AFP the response was slow, and guards reportedly prevented people from leaving the building.
The report said the hospital did not have detailed operating procedures or fire and emergency training. It said two nurses, a woman security guard and another officer were in the ward when the fire started, but no supervising staff were present.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal earlier said a spark from an air conditioner was believed to have caused the fire. The preliminary report said the ignition source has not yet been determined as the investigation continues.
Health Secretary Aslam Ghori, the department's top civil servant, was sacked on Wednesday after the fire.
Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often linked to poor safety laws and building codes and weak enforcement. In January, more than 65 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in Karachi. At least 11 people were killed in another Karachi shopping mall fire in 2023, and at least 250 labourers died at a garment factory in the city in 2012.
Update
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said eight officials were suspended after the fire.
Sharif called for criminal proceedings against those he said were responsible for criminal negligence.
A preliminary report found the fire engulfed the unit within about two minutes after starting just after 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The preliminary report said a nurse was able to save one of the 15 infants in the hospital's care.
The report said the hospital lacked detailed operating procedures and fire and emergency training.
The report said the ignition source has not yet been determined, while an earlier health minister statement said a spark from an air conditioner was believed to have caused the fire.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 08:24:33 UTC.
Update
Investigators began examining why the fire broke out in the neonatal ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
AFP observed extensive damage in the ward, including charred walls and a partially collapsed roof.
Security was heightened around the ward on Thursday.
A nurse told AFP the fire spread within minutes and staff ran for their lives.
Idrees Khan told AFP he lost his newborn son and that his wife was in critical condition after leaving the hospital following surgery.
A father at the hospital said his wife was waiting for a caesarean section and that he was told there was no nursery available after the procedure.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 August 2026 at 10:40:15 UTC.
Update
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said CCTV footage showed a spark from an air conditioner and that the fire spread within a minute.
Kamal said 26 fire extinguishers were used but there were no water sprinklers in the ward.
AFP journalists reported funerals had begun on Wednesday afternoon.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 14:50:29 UTC.
Update
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sacked Health Secretary Aslam Ghori after the fire.
Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said 19 people, including seven children, were rescued.
Chaudhry said the bodies of the 14 babies had been handed to their parents and denied negligence in rescue operations.
UNICEF called for an urgent review and strengthening of fire prevention and safety standards across health facilities.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 11:48:04 UTC.
Update
Witness Jaweria said the door to the neonatal intensive care unit was locked.
A witness said hospital security guards were stopping people from leaving.
Witness Abdul Ghafoor said babies as young as one day old were in the ward and rescue teams arrived almost two hours after the fire started.
AFP reporters saw families gathered outside as a nurse called out the names of babies who had died.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 08:00:39 UTC.
Update
PIMS spokeswoman Aneeza Jalil said the fire was caused by an electrical fault and sparked from an air conditioner.
Pakistan authorities blamed a faulty air conditioner for the blaze.
Witnesses and relatives described smoke, panic and the loss of newborn children outside the hospital.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 06:44:44 UTC.
Update
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the 14 people killed were all infants.
Sharif called for the circumstances of the fire to be reviewed and for those responsible to be identified.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed grief over the deaths.
Authorities have not identified the cause of the fire.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 05:58:06 UTC.
Update
The fire was described as erupting in a maternity ward at PIMS hospital.
Islamabad chief commissioner Sohail Ashraf said the emergency call was made just before 7:00 a.m. local time.
Ashraf said rescue teams, specialists and police reached the site and controlled the fire.
The district office statement did not give the children's ages or state the cause of the fire.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 05:09:12 UTC.
Update
The fire broke out on the third floor of the MCH Ward at PIMS Hospital.
The fire happened on Wednesday morning.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 04:33:04 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The ignition source has not yet been determined, according to the preliminary report.
Accounts of the emergency response time differ between official findings and witnesses.
Source
AFP news report published on .