Pakistan Hospital Fire: Locked Door Killed 14 Babies
Constantvpn.com – Door was locked at Pakistan’s largest capital maternity ward when flames tore through the unit on Wednesday morning, killing fourteen of the fifteen newborns inside. Witnesses who stood in the corridors of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad described a scene of total paralysis: smoke sealed every exit, staff could not reach the infants, and families were left screaming against a sealed entrance for hours before rescue crews broke through.
The blaze started in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother-and-child unit shortly after dawn. By the time firefighters arrived, the ward was already engulfed. Only one baby survived.
What Families Saw and Heard
Hivsa Walid, whose sister-in-law had delivered days earlier, was in the corridor when the first shouts rang out. She initially mistook the commotion for a patient’s death until thick smoke began pouring from the ward doorway.
“We didn’t even think about our belongings. We just grabbed the baby and rushed downstairs. Some patients had delivered their babies just that night. I don’t even know how we managed to get down — it was all a blur.”
The infant Walid carried out was unnamed, born only hours before the fire. Her escape was among the very few successful rescues that morning. Khurram Mehmood, a 40-year-old father, lost his daughter, who had lived just three days. Jaweria, mother of another victim, said the ward entrance stayed shut while she pleaded outside.
“For two hours I kept crying and wailing. Police arrived after four hours and said they are here to investigate. Why did the doctors leave the children there? To hell with you, rescue team and police. Babies burnt to death there, but nobody could save them.”
Abdul Ghafoor, an onlooker who tried to enter the building to help, said dense black smoke blocked his path. “There was thick black smoke inside and patients were trapped. Rescue teams arrived after almost two hours,” he recalled.
The Locked-Door Dispute and Official Response
Multiple eyewitnesses insisted the maternity ward’s entrance was secured from the outside, forcing families to batter down doors while crews shattered windows to reach the flames. Door was locked at Pakistan’s PIMS ward, according to these accounts, and no functional fire extinguishers or evacuation protocols were in place. A father whose baby perished told Reuters he had visited the ward for eight consecutive days and noted the absence of fire-safety infrastructure and adequate exits.
Hospital executive director Rana Imran Sikander disputed the locked-door narrative, telling the BBC that the entrance was staffed rather than locked, a practice he said was meant to prevent infant abduction. Walid countered that even a posted guard meant nothing without working extinguishers or a clear evacuation plan. “There should have been fire extinguishers and protocols, but no one was doing anything — everyone was just running,” she said.
Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner, Sohail Ashraf, claimed rescue units reached the scene “immediately” after the initial call — a timeline that sits in sharp tension with the hours-long waits described by grieving parents. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep sorrow and heartfelt regret,” ordered an immediate investigation, and suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri. His statement closed with: “Such a situation with children is irreparable.”
PIMS operates 156 beds in its maternal and child health unit and ranks among the largest public hospitals in the capital. Its scale and reputation made the disaster all the more shocking to a population long accustomed to under-resourced public facilities. The incident has reignited a bitter national debate over building codes, emergency preparedness, and oversight in Pakistan’s healthcare system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many babies died in the Islamabad hospital fire? Fourteen of the fifteen newborns present in the PIMS maternity ward were killed. One infant survived.
Why were families unable to reach the trapped infants? Witnesses reported that the ward entrance was locked or sealed from the outside, and that dense smoke blocked interior corridors. Rescue crews reportedly arrived after roughly two hours and had to break windows to gain access.
What did the hospital say about the locked door? Executive director Rana Imran Sikander told the BBC the entrance was staffed, not locked, and that the practice was intended to prevent infant abduction. Families and other witnesses disputed this account.
What action did the government take? Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation and suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri. Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner stated rescue units responded “immediately,” though parents described waits of two to four hours.
