At least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire that broke out on the third floor of the mother and child unit at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, August 26th, 2026.

A hospital spokesman told the BBC that an air conditioning unit caught fire. Local broadcaster Geo TV reported the fire was triggered by a fault in the air conditioning system, with officials citing an air conditioner compressor explosion in the nursery. The blaze has since been extinguished, with firefighters carrying out cooling operations.

There were between 15 and 16 newborns in the ward at the time of the fire, according to different sources. One infant was rescued, but the rest perished. Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News that the babies were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment, which can accelerate fires.

Eyewitness Hivsa Walid told the BBC she was inside the hospital when the fire broke out, accompanying her sister-in-law who had recently given birth. She described waiting outside for help.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret" over the incident. He has suspended Federal Secretary of Health Aslam Ghauri and is chairing a high-level meeting, expressing "deep anger" at some officials. The Prime Minister has directed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. Islamabad's District Magistrate has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the fire and produce a report.

Sources