Pakistan Hospital Fire Kills 14 Babies as Locked Door Claim Raise Questions

A devastating fire at a maternity ward in Islamabad has killed 14 newborn babies, triggering grief among families and serious questions about fire safety, emergency response and conditions inside one of Pakistan major state run hospitals. The blaze broke out shortly after dawn on Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), in the air-conditioning unit of the mother and child unit's third floor. Fifteen babies were reportedly present in the ward when the fire started, with only one rescued alive. Parents describe a desperate wait Families outside the hospital described chaotic scenes as smoke spread through the maternity ward. Hivsa Walid was near the ward with her sister in law, who had given birth only days earlier, when she heard a shout and noticed smoke. She said they immediately grabbed the baby and rushed downstairs. The baby was so young that she had not yet been given a name. Other families were not as fortunate. Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP that his three day old daughter died in the fire. The loss has left parents demanding answers about how the blaze developed and why more babies could not be evacuated. Dispute over the maternity ward door One of the most serious allegations concerns access to the maternity ward. Jaweria, whose baby was among those killed, told AFP that the ward door was locked. She said she waited for hours while desperately calling for help and questioned why medical staff had left the babies inside. Other witnesses also alleged that access to the ward was restricted and that people had to break through doors to reach those trapped inside. However, the hospital executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, disputed the claim that the door was locked. He said it was manned, explaining that controlled access was necessary to protect newborns from possible abduction, which he said had happened previously at government hospitals. The conflicting accounts are likely to form an important part of the investigation into the disaster. Questions over fire safety Survivors and relatives have also raised concerns about the hospital fire safety arrangements. Walid said she believed the facility lacked adequate fire extinguishers and emergency procedures, while the father of one victim told Reuters that the building had no proper fire security measures or adequate exits. Several eyewitnesses claimed that staff members were not present when the fire began. One witness told AFP that people attempted to break through doors while rescue teams smashed windows as they tried to tackle the flames. Another witness, Abdul Ghafoor, said thick black smoke made it difficult to reach the maternity ward and claimed rescue teams arrived after a significant delay. However, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams reached the hospital immediately after receiving the emergency call, according to AFP. The differing accounts about the emergency response remain subject to investigation. A major hospital in Islamabad PIMS is one of the largest hospitals in Pakistan's capital. Its maternal and child health unit has 156 beds, making the incident particularly significant for the city public healthcare system. The tragedy has also renewed wider concerns about fire safety in Pakistan, where poor enforcement of building standards and inadequate safety measures have frequently been cited following major fires. Earlier this year, a fire at a shopping mall in Karachi killed dozens of people. Survivors said locked exits may have contributed to the high number of deaths. Government orders investigation Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and ordered authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. The government has also suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri following the tragedy. The investigation will now have to establish how the fire started, whether adequate fire-safety equipment and evacuation procedures were in place, how quickly emergency teams responded and whether any failures contributed to the deaths. For the families who lost their newborn children, however, those questions come amid an immeasurable loss. The tragedy has placed renewed scrutiny on the safety of Pakistan public hospital and the protections in place for some of their most vulnerable patients.