At least 14 newborn babies killed in blaze at hospital in Pakistan
by Paul Godfrey · UPIAug. 26 (UPI) -- At least 14 newborn babies were killed early Wednesday after fire swept through the maternity department of one of the largest public hospitals in Islamabad.
One baby was among 19 people rescued from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in downtown Islamabad after the fire started in an air conditioning unit in the third floor ward, which was then fueled by oxygen being administered to babies in incubators, or directly.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told GEO news that the incident, which occurred at 6:45 a.m. local time, was caused by a "blast in the air conditioner," with the explosion igniting a blaze which was made more intense due to the presence of oxygen tanks.
Expressing "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement issued by his office on X that he had ordered "an immediate investigation" into the tragedy.
"Such a situation with children is irreparable. A detailed review of the motives of the incident should be conducted and the responsible should be determined and strictest action should be taken. I am heartbroken over this tragic incident and the parents share the grief equally," said Sharif.
He appointed former interior secretary Shahid Khan to head the inquiry, according to Samaa TV, after firing Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghoriamid reports he was very unhappy with serving officials' handling of the incident.
PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneza Jalil, confirmed that all of those who died were newborns but was unable to confirm how many infants and mothers were on the ward at the time.
An anonymous police source told The New York Times a short circuit was the likely cause, with local media reporting it occurred in the air conditioning unit which would have been working overtime amid the hottest time of year in the capital with temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, even early in the morning.
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Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famed "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on August 28, 1963. The speech galvanized the nation's civil rights movements and led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. File photo by UPI | License Photo