Fourteen newborns die in Islamabad maternity ward firepublished at 12:42 BST
12:42 BST
Dan Woodland
Live reporter
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Fourteen newborn babies have died after a fire at a maternity ward in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
The fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital started on Wednesday morning.
An air conditioning unit caught fire and was quickly ignited by oxygen connections, a spokesman for the hospital told the BBC.
It killed 14 of the 15 babies who were in the ward at the time, a spokesperson said. Seven other babies, two men and 10 mothers were also rescued, according to Pakistan’s minister of state for interior.
A cordon remains in place around the medical centre, which is one of the biggest state-run hospitals in the country, while the bodies of all the babies killed have now been handed over to the parents.
A father of one victim criticised the safety measures in place at the hospital, claiming there were “no proper exits” and “all doors were closed”.
Two senior Pakistani senators are also calling for better safety measures at hospitals following the fire, with one saying there is an “urgent need” to modernise safety systems.
The hospital’s executive director tells the BBC the door to the maternity ward was not locked, but that it was manned, citing the need to protect against the possibility of babies being stolen.
Islamabad’s District Magistrate has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the fire, including the cause and safety measures in place beforehand. It has been tasked with producing a report “within 24 hours”.
We’re ending our live coverage now but you can read more in our news story.