At least 15 newborns killed in Pakistan hospital fire

Prime minister orders investigation and promises ‘strictest action’ against those responsible for the blaze.At least 14 newborn babies have been killed in a fire that broke out in the nursery of a government-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, as he ordered an investigation.The fire broke out on Wednesday at on the third floor of the Pakistan-institute-of-medical-sciences-hospital" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="193519" data-entity-type="organization">Mother and Child Centre Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Can Pakistani army chief make Iran’s military leaders restart US talks?list 2 of 3Sanctions or missiles? How Gulf will view Trump’s new Iran approachlist 3 of 3Pakistan says significant progress made in talks on Iran-US warend of listLocal broadcaster Geo TV, citing hospital sources, put the death toll at 15.It said the blaze, which began shortly before 07:00am local time (02:00 GMT), has been extinguished. Only one infant was rescued, it added.In a statement on X, Sharif offered his “deepest condolences to the bereaved families” and directed authorities to conduct “an immediate investigation”.He promised that those responsible would face the “strictest action”.Geo TV cited rescue sources as saying that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.building fires are a frequent occurrence in Pakistan, where safety regulations and building codes are routinely ignored or poorly enforced. In January, at least 65 people died when a massive fire swept through a crowded shopping complex in the southern port city of Karachi.Wednesday’s blaze is one of the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan’s history. While the government provides subsidised medical treatment through public hospitals, the state sector remains severely underfunded, mismanaged, and overcrowded.