At least 14 newborns were killed after a fire broke out on a hospital ward in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, Wednesday morning.
The fire occurred on the third floor of the mother and child unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital.
Footage of the incident online showed glass from shattered windows lying scattered on the pavement, as parents and sympathisers gathered outside the hospital to mourn victims.
Reports indicated that while 15 babies were in the ward when the incident happened, one was rescued from the fire.
Emergency responders also rescued no fewer than other people from the hospital, including 10 women, seven children and two men.
Pakistan’s health minister Mustafa Kamal said the babies in the ward were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment. According to the police, the newborns who died in the incident were badly burnt and would be identified through a DNA test.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the incident as sad and irreparable in a statement on Wednesday.
“Such a situation with children is irreparable. I express profound grief and heartfelt sorrow over the tragic incident of a fire in the nursery PIMS hospital, in which 14 newborns lost their lives,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari insisted that 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,” Mr Zardari stated.
The president expressed grief over the incident and extended his “heartfelt condolences and sympathy” to the families of victims.
The latest incident occurred months after 14 children died following the collapse of a tutoring centre’s rooftop in Punjab Province in June.