PIMS Fire Kills 15 Infants in Islamabad as PM Orders Probe Into AC Blast

Q: Why were hospital staff allegedly absent from the nursery during the critical moments the deadly blaze ignited?

There is no confirmed public explanation yet for why staff were allegedly absent. What is established is that rescue sources and parents said no doctors, ward boys or other staff were present in the incubation centre when the fire began, but officials have not verified the reason. The available reporting points instead to a broader failure of preparedness at the PIMS nursery. Rescue sources described missing fire-hose couplings, no water at the fire point, and locked evacuation routes, suggesting systemic safety lapses rather than a single isolated mistake. The fire is reported to have started around 6:45–7:00 a.m. after an air-conditioner compressor or cooling-system fault exploded, and it spread quickly while the electricity also went out, which may have compounded the chaos. Because of these unanswered questions, the district administration sealed the Mother and Child Health ward and formed an inquiry committee led by the additional deputy commissioner. That investigation is expected to determine not only the exact cause of the blaze, but also staffing responsibility, whether duty personnel were missing, and whether negligence or protocol failures left the nursery unattended at the crucial moment. So, at this stage, the staff’s alleged absence remains an allegation under investigation, but the surrounding evidence strongly suggests serious operational and fire-safety failures inside the ward.

3 articles · Updated · newscord.org · Aug 26

At least 15 infants died after a fire tore through the mother-and-child or gynecology ward at Islamabad’s state-run PIMS hospital around 7 a.m.; one newborn was rescued.
An air-conditioning fault or compressor explosion inside the nursery appears to have triggered the blaze, which rescue teams later brought under control.
Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation and demanded strict action against those responsible, while Islamabad officials also set up a fact-finding committee due within 24 hours.
Death toll reports ranged from 13 to 15 across outlets, and police said some bodies were so badly burnt that DNA tests may be needed before they can be returned to families.