14 newborn babies killed in maternity ward hospital fire in Pakistan

More than a dozen newborn babies have died after a fire broke out inside a maternity ward in a Pakistan hospital.

The fire is now said to be under control after rescue teams attended the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, with those injured taken to the ICU.

Parents of the infants who were killed in the fire have gathered outside the hospital in tears.

One newborn out of the 15 babies who were in the ward was rescued, a hospital spokesperson told BBC News.

A man also told the publication that his three-day-old baby had died.

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Police officers move past an ambulance outside an intensive care unit after a fire broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 26, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A father reacts after the death of his child following a fire incident outside the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. A fire at a hospital in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on August 26 morning killed 14 children, a local authority said. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images)
Workers remove shards of broken windows following a fire incident outside the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. A fire erupted in a maternity ward in Pakistan's capital on August 26, killing 14 children, the Islamabad district office said. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he expresses ‘deep sorrow’ and has ordered an immediate inquiry

A committee has been tasked with producing a report within 24 hours.

The country’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, also said those responsible for the fire should be identified and legal action taken.

‘Effective fire safety and emergency arrangements should be ensured for the protection of patients in hospitals, especially newborn babies,’ he said in a post on social media.

The president added that he extends his ‘heartfelt condolences and sympathy’ to the families, describing the death of newborn babies as a ‘heart-breaking and irreparable loss’.

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Original source 14 newborn babies killed in maternity ward hospital fire in Pakistan

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