A fire broke out at a maternity ward in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Wednesday morning, killing 14 infants who were trapped due to allegedly locked doors. According to eyewitnesses, parents had to wait hours for help to arrive after calling emergency services. The hospital's executive director claims that the door was not locked but was manned by staff to prevent baby thefts. One witness estimated that it took rescue teams almost two hours to reach the scene after the emergency call was made.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-27,
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
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but none of the 3 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 2811: no verified evidence · logged 2026-08-27
- Published
It was just after dawn on Wednesday morning at a maternity ward in the Pakistani capital when a horrific blaze erupted.
asserted
blaze → publish → capital
It would go on to kill 14 infants as parents say they waited hours for help to arrive.
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help → go → hours
Hivsa Walid was near the room at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital with her sister-in-law, who had given birth days earlier.
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who → give → birth
She initially heard a shout and thought a patient had died - but then she saw smoke.
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she → hear → smoke
The pair fled with the baby, who is so small she does not yet have a name.
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she → flee → name
"We didn't even think about our belongings.
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We → think → belongings
We just grabbed the baby and rushed downstairs.
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We → grab → baby
"Some patients had delivered their babies just that night.
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patients → deliver → babies
I don't even know how we managed to get down - it was all a blur."
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it → know → ?
The fire broke out in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child unit at PIMS, one of the main state-run hospitals in Islamabad.
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fire → break → Islamabad
Only one of the 15 babies present was saved.
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one → save → babies
Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP news agency there was a long wait for rescue workers.
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Mehmood → tell → workers
"I lost my daughter.
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I → lose → daughter
She was only three days old," he said.
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he → say → ?
Jaweria, the mother of another victim, told AFP news agency the door to the maternity ward was locked.
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door → tell → ward
"For two hours I kept crying and wailing," she said.
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she → keep → hours
"Police arrived after four hours and said they are here to investigate.
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they → arrive → hours
"
"Why did the doctors leave the children there?" she asks.
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she → leave → children
"To hell with you, rescue team and police. Babies burnt to death there, but nobody could save them."
uncertain
nobody → burn → them
Rana Imran Sikander, the hospital's executive director, told the BBC the ward's door was not locked but was manned.
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door → tell → BBC
He cited the need to protect babies from being stolen, something that has happened before at government hospitals.
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that → cite → hospitals
Walid suggested PIMS's safety protocols were inadequate, despite it being a major hospital.
uncertain
it → suggest → ?
"There should have been fire extinguishers and protocols, but no one was doing anything - everyone was just running."
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everyone → do → anything
The father of a baby who died told Reuters he had been visiting the ward for eight days and the building had "no fire security, no proper exits".
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building → die → security
"All doors were closed, only one door was for us to visit our children.
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us → close → children
They kept the other doors locked because they feared we would come to see our children too often."
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we → keep → children
Several eyewitnesses have claimed duty staff were not around.
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staff → claim → ?
People had to "break the door down" and rescue teams were forced to smash the windows to control the flames, a witness who did not give her name told AFP.
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who → have → AFP
Abdul Ghafoor, another witness, told AFP he tried to get into the building to rescue patients but couldn't reach the maternity ward.
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he → tell → ward
"There was thick black smoke inside and patients were trapped," he said.
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he → be → ?
"Rescue teams arrived after almost two hours."
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teams → arrive → hours
Islamabad's Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams reached the scene "immediately" after the emergency call was first made, according to AFP.
uncertain
call → say → AFP
The country has dealt with a number of major fires in recent years, with poor safety laws, building codes and lax enforcement often blamed for steep death tolls.
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laws → deal → tolls
Survivors of a fire which killed dozens at a Karachi shopping mall in January this year said locked exits probably contributed to the high number of fatalities.
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exits → kill → fatalities
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret" over the latest blaze, and instructed authorities to "conduct an immediate investigation", according to a statement from his office.
uncertain
Sharif → express → office
He has also suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, a top official in the health department.
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He → suspend → department
"Such a situation with children is irreparable," the statement said.
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statement → say → children
