Summary The fire broke out on the third floor of the Maternal and Child Health Ward early in the morning
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News/Agencies) – At least 14 infants were killed after a fire breakout at a section of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Wednesday.
The fire broke out on the third floor of the Maternal and Child Health Ward early in the morning, reportedly due to a suspected short circuit. The district administration has confirmed the causalities in the fire incident.
In a post on X, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf Goraya confirmed the fire incident saying the officials received the emergency call at 6:54 am.
Emergency
— Sohail (@SohailAshrafGor) August 26, 2026
Fire Call
PIMS Hospital (MCH)
Call Time 0654
Rescue teams, AC Industrial area, police and myself immediately reached at site and controlled the fire. We shall keep you updated regarding casualty or any other news @CDAthecapital.
Later, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Ali Nasir Rizvi also reached the spot to review the rescue and relief efforts.
Professor Imran Sikandar, an official of the hospital, said it is yet to determine how the fire started in the ward.
Bodies of handed over to families
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the rescue team reached PIMS within six minutes of receiving the fire alert.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Chaudhry said administrative officers were present at the hospital immediately after the rescue operation.
He confirmed that the bodies of all 14 newborn victims had been handed over to their families.
The minister said the initial rescue operation had been completed and its report submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the interior minister.
Prime Minister Shehbaz has constituted an inquiry team to investigate the incident. Chaudhry said any negligence would be identified during the probe.
He added that CCTV footage and other evidence related to the incident had been secured. The inquiry will also determine how many doctors and staff members were present when the fire broke out.
Probe committee formed
An inquiry committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner has been formed to investigate the incident.
According to the district administration, the committee will determine the cause of the fire and establish how the tragedy occurred.
The Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward was sealed following the incident.
Parents, however, alleged that staff members were not present in the incubation centre when the fire broke out.
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Responsible will face strict action: Health Minister
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has confirmed that 14 children have died in the fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
Speaking about the incident, Kamal said the Director General Health and hospital secretary were present at the facility, while relevant authorities were in contact with the affected families. He added that he was travelling from Karachi to Islamabad following the incident.
The health minister said an investigation would be conducted and pledged that those responsible would face strict action, adding that he would also be held accountable if the inquiry found any fault on his part.
Kamal said hospital staff had gone to call rescue services after the fire broke out, but the blaze spread rapidly.
He said the fire-fighting equipment at the hospital was operational at the time of the incident.
Parents allege rescue delays and staff negligence in PIMS fire
Footage from the scene showed rescue workers using ladders to reach broken windows and access the affected area, while grieving relatives gathered outside the hospital.
Several witnesses, with smoke-blackened faces and hands, alleged that they waited hours for emergency services to arrive. Some said they were forced to break windows in an attempt to reach the neonatal intensive care unit.
Witnesses also claimed that some doors were locked and that security guards prevented people inside the building from leaving as the fire spread.
Khurram Mehmood, 40, said he lost his three-day-old daughter in the blaze and alleged that rescuers arrived hours after the fire broke out, AFP reported.
“I lost my daughter. She was only three days old,” he said. “My wife was in the ward. They took everyone out. We were sitting on the road waiting for help.”
He claimed the fire started around 6am, while rescue teams and authorities arrived around 9am.
Another grieving mother, Jaweria, demanded justice over the death of her newborn.
“Give me my child back,” she said outside the hospital. “I want justice.”
She alleged that rescue teams arrived too late and questioned the absence of medical staff during the emergency.
“For two hours I kept crying and wailing,” she said, asking why doctors and other medical staff were not present in the ward when the fire broke out.
Another parent, Mudasir, who lost his child in the fire, claimed that all but one of the ward’s doors were closed and alleged that there was no proper fire safety system in the facility.
Meanwhile, a mother with smoke residue on her hands was seen crying outside the hospital while holding her 10-day-old baby.
“People were screaming. There was black smoke. We ran for our lives. Thank God my baby is safe,” Shagufta Parveen said.
Ali Abbas, 20, who was accompanying his sister, a patient at the ward, said the fire appeared to have started following a short circuit in the nursery.
“There was a short circuit in the nursery, in the children’s ward. It was full of smoke,” he said.
Eyewitness Abdul Ghafoor said thick black smoke filled the area and patients became trapped inside.
“I barged in to try to save as many people as I could, but we could not reach the ward where the patients were,” he said.
He added that the fire was in the nursing room and visibility was severely limited, forcing some people to break windows to help others escape.
Established in 1985, PIMS is Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital and one of the oldest major healthcare facilities in the federal capital. It comprises several hospitals and teaching institutes.
Fires in large buildings are relatively common in Pakistan, with poor safety standards, inadequate building codes and weak enforcement often cited as contributing factors.
PM removes health secretary
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended and removed Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghouri from his post following the tragic fire at the nursery of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister to review the PIMS fire incident. PM Shehbaz expressed strong displeasure over the performance of the relevant officials and ordered immediate action.
The prime minister also constituted a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the tragedy and determine responsibility for the deaths.
Former interior secretary Shahid Khan has been appointed head of the inquiry committee, while Secretary Establishment Dr Barrister Nabil Awan is among its members.
What the district administration says
According to the district administration, the fire broke out on the third floor of the MCH Ward at PIMS Hospital, prompting an immediate emergency response.
Rescue teams rushed to the hospital after being alerted to the incident. Six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances participated in the rescue and relief operation.
Authorities said the blaze was brought under control and the children were subsequently shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Condolences pour in
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow over death of 14 infants in fire incident at PIMS. He has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter, saying strict action will be taken against those responsible for the incident.
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) August 26, 2026
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed profound grief and sorrow over the tragic fire incident at PIMS Hospital, Islamabad.
The president extends heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families over the loss of newborn babies in the fire.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 26, 2026
The tragic deaths of newborn babies are an extremely heartbreaking and irreparable loss, he said.
In a post on X, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote, “Deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic fire at the nursery of PIMS Hospital, in which 14 newborns lost their lives”.
Deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic fire at the nursery of PIMS Hospital, in which 14 newborns lost their lives.
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) August 26, 2026
My deepest condolences to the bereaved parents and families. No words can ease the pain of losing an innocent child. May Allah Almighty grant the families…
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident in which 14 newborn babies lost their lives in a fire at PIMS Hospital.
— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) August 26, 2026
Heartbreaking news that at least 14 infants sadly passed away following a terrible fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the parents and families at this unimaginably difficult time.
— UK in Pakistan (@ukinpakistan) August 26, 2026
