# At least 14 babies killed after fire breaks out at maternity ward in Pakistan hospital

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/at-least-14-babies-killed-after-fire-breaks-out-at-maternity-ward-in-pakistan-hospital/
- Published: 2026-08-26T13:12:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-26T19:18:26+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16080527/babies-killed-fire-maternity-Pakistan-hospital.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Asia, Health, Medicine, World

## Key points

- Fourteen newborns died in an Islamabad hospital nursery fire.
- DNA tests are required to identify the victims.
- Authorities ordered an investigation into the cause.

## Summary

At least 14 newborn babies died after a fire swept through the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. The incident has prompted an immediate investigation ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while families face further distress because DNA testing is needed before the badly burned victims can be formally identified and returned to their parents.

The fire began at about 6.45am on Wednesday and was reportedly linked to an exploding air-conditioning unit, although officials had not confirmed the cause. Around 15 newborns were in the nursery, many in incubators or connected to oxygen equipment; 19 people were rescued, including ten women, seven children and two men, and one baby was reportedly saved by a doctor. A district fact-finding committee was instructed to establish the cause, against a wider backdrop of repeated fatal fires and weak safety enforcement in Pakistan.

## Coverage

- [Daily Mail: At least 14 babies killed after fire breaks out at maternity ward in Pakistan hospital](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16080527/babies-killed-fire-maternity-Pakistan-hospital.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [BBC World: Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdz13elezlo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [HuffPost: More Than A Dozen Infants Killed In Islamabad Hospital Fire](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/islamabad-pakistan-hospital-fire_n_6a8e6740e4b0e34ff0624a92)
- [Fox News: At least 14 newborns killed in Pakistan nursery hospital fire](https://www.foxnews.com/world/least-14-newborns-killed-pakistan-nursery-hospital-fire)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.