A fire at Pakistan's premier state-run medical facility in Islamabad has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 newborns, with authorities attributing the incident to a malfunction in the air conditioning system.
A significant fire broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 infants, according to local broadcaster Geo TV. The incident occurred in the hospital's gynaecology ward, where 16 newborns were present at the time of the emergency. One infant was reported to have been rescued from the ward.
Local media has attributed the fire to a fault within the hospital's air conditioning systems. Emergency response teams conducted cooling operations at the facility following the outbreak, though details on the duration and extent of the fire were limited in initial reports.
The incident has raised immediate concerns about safety standards and emergency preparedness at one of Pakistan's leading medical institutions. PIMS serves as a tertiary care hospital and is among the country's most prominent state healthcare facilities, making the incident particularly significant.
