A fire erupted in a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, killing 14 newborns and injuring one. Rescue officials say the blaze started around 6:45 a.m. when an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the gynecology ward. Hospital officials and government leaders have expressed shock and sorrow over the tragedy, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering an immediate investigation into the cause of the fire. At least one family member is seen weeping outside the hospital, calling for accountability and justice.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
14 newborn babies were killed in a fire that broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 26th. The fire started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child ward, which was fueled by oxygen being administered to babies in incubators.
According to reports, there were at least 15 newborns in the nursery when the fire broke out, but only one baby was rescued. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that 14 babies had died, and said that the cause of the fire was a "blast in the air conditioner" that ignited a blaze.
The hospital's administration has launched an investigation into the incident, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate inquiry. President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families of the victims, describing the deaths as "heartbreaking and an irreparable loss".
Witnesses reported that there was a long wait for rescue workers to arrive, and some parents said they were forced to smash through windows to try and get to their babies. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability, with lawmakers demanding reforms in the country's health sector.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, but initial reports suggest that it may have been caused by a technical fault or negligence on the part of hospital staff.
Written for “Fire in Pakistan Hospital” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 2492 · logged 2026-08-27
Islamabad — A fire erupted early Wednesday at a nursery in a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, killing 14 newborns, hospital officials and the government said.
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officials → erupt → newborns
There were at least 15 newborns in the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad when the fire broke out, hospital officials said, but one baby was rescued, officials with the hospital said.
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officials → be → hospital
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that 14 babies died.
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babies → confirm → ?
Rescue officials said the fire began about 6:45 a.m. when an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery in the gynecology ward.
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compressor → say → ward
"The scene is unbearable in the ward," senior nurse Noreen Khan told CBS News' Sami Yousafzai in a phone interview.
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Khan → tell → interview
"The 14 babies who had just opened their eyes to the world died just after a day or two being alive."
Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze, and rescue teams began cooling operations at the site, local media reported.
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media → open → site
The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours.
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magistrate → appoint → 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.
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notification → investigate → response
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed sorrow over the fire.
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Sharif → express → fire
"A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss," said Sharif, who also ordered an immediate investigation.
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who → involve → investigation
President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as "heartbreaking and an irreparable loss."
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Zardari → offer → deaths
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 are in place, particularly in wards caring for newborns.
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measures → call → newborns
Families react
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Families → react → ?
The deaths of the children sent a wave of shock and grief across the country.
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deaths → send → 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.
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nursery → deploy → equipment
Amir Abbasi told CBS News he lost his newborn nephew in the blast.
"
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he → tell → blast
I can't believe that little baby, I touched his soft face and hand yesterday, is now just human ashes.
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I → believe → face
"Give me my child," a woman who lost her baby cried outside the hospital, where ambulances had gathered.
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ambulances → give → hospital
"I want justice."
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I → want → justice
Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire erupted.
"I don't know what to say or who to blame," she said through tears.
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she → say → tears
"I have lost my child."
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I → lose → child
Hospital officials told families the infants' bodies would be released after the necessary paperwork was completed, Sami said.
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Sami → tell → families
Kamal, the health minister, told Pakistan's Geo News channel he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to personally oversee the investigation.
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he → tell → investigation
He said the director-general of health and the federal health secretary were already at the PIMS hospital, one of Islamabad's largest public hospitals.
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general → say → hospitals
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.
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priority → accord → them
