Islamabad: A fire broke out in the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Wednesday, killing 15 newborns. Only one newborn could be rescued alive.
The fire reportedly broke out at around 7 am after an air-conditioning compressor blast inside the nursery in the gynaecology ward of the hospital, local media reported.
Rescue teams were deployed to the hospital and worked to extinguish the fire and evacuate those inside while carrying out cooling operations at the site. Visuals of the rescue operation posted on social media showed firefighters entering the nursery, located on the third floor of the hospital, by breaking the glass of the window.
Rescue officials said that the fire had been extinguished and teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site. The nursery housed 16 newborns at the time of the fire.
Authorities are now probing the circumstances surrounding the fire and the deaths of the newborns.
PIMS, one of Islamabad’s major government hospitals. The hospital has previously treated prominent Pakistani political figures. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was taken to PIMS for a medical examination following a court-mandated health checkup.
