A tragic fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has resulted in the deaths of 14 newborns, turning a critical care nursery into a scene of chaos and grief. The incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, has triggered immediate government action, including the suspension of the federal health secretary and the launch of two separate investigations.
Arif Rana, 46, was sleeping on the hospital lawn when he received a frantic call at 6:30 a.m. from his sister’s husband’s relative. He was told a fire had broken out in the maternity unit. Rushing to the third floor with his 20-year-old son, Rana encountered thick smoke and pitch-black corridors. He described the environment as suffocatingly hot, noting that the intense smoke made it difficult to breathe and that panicked shouting filled the air.
Rana managed to rescue his sister’s mother-in-law, while his sister and her newborn were saved by the quick actions of a relative. He expressed deep sorrow for the 14 other infants who did not survive the blaze in the nursery located down the corridor. According to hospital management, the fire originated from a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit. At the time, 15 newborns were inside the ward; only one survived.
The tragedy has raised serious questions regarding safety protocols. Some witnesses, including Kamran Riaz—who lost his three-day-old niece in the fire—reported that staff presence appeared minimal during the emergency. Riaz also noted that while one entrance was accessible, a second exit appeared to be blocked. Other families described similar difficulties navigating the smoke-filled ward, with some claiming they saw no doctors or nurses during the initial moments of the fire.
Hospital officials, including Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar, maintained that two doctors and four nurses were on duty at the time. Regarding the restricted access to the nursery, officials explained that the doors are kept locked as a long-standing security policy to prevent infant abductions, rather than a failure specific to the fire. This explanation has done little to soothe the anger of grieving families who argue that safety measures for critical infants should have been prioritized.
Emergency response times remain a point of contention. While the Islamabad district administration stated that fire tenders and ambulances arrived within seven minutes of a 6:45 a.m. alert, a Rescue 1122 official reported receiving the call at 6:55 a.m. and arriving shortly after 7:00 a.m. Firefighters on the scene described the building as difficult to access, noting they had to break through concrete grills and windows to reach those trapped inside.
This incident follows a similar tragedy in June 2024, when a fire at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital in Punjab claimed 11 lives. In that case, investigations revealed expired fire extinguishers, leading to the arrest of senior medical staff. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now ordered a thorough probe into the PIMS fire, with inquiry committees formed by both the prime minister’s office and the Islamabad district administration tasked with identifying the cause and any potential negligence.
As families wait for answers, many are left struggling with the aftermath of the disaster. Witnesses reported that renovation work had been ongoing in the building, though the exact nature of these projects remains unclear. For those like Riaz, whose family is currently providing DNA samples at the morgue, the focus remains on seeking accountability for the loss of their loved ones. The report also notes that “My sister gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday, and she was admitted in the general ward of the hospital. The report also notes that “It was hot, and I could hear so much yelling and panicked shouts, and I couldn’t even see due to darkness,” Rana recalled, sitting outside the ward hours after the incident. The report also notes that accounts of exactly when rescuers reached the ward on Wednesday differ. The report also notes that fire and rescue service — said that separate stations logged fires at different times as calls were relayed, an official at the headquarters of Rescue 1122 — the government-run ambulance. The report also notes that his own station received word at 6:55am and reached the hospital less than 10 minutes later. The report also notes that which he later showed, was timestamped 7:06am, a video he recorded on arrival. The report also notes that and through them we were able to rescue people,” a fireman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, we had to break those windows.