Fire kills 14 infants in Islamabad hospital maternity ward
A fire in the Mother and Child Health Ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Islamabad killed 14 infants on August 26, 2026. Authorities blamed a faulty air conditioner for the blaze that broke out around dawn on the third floor of the maternity ward at the capital's premier public hospital.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed all victims were infants and pledged thorough investigation into the incident, citing electrical fault in the AC unit as the cause. Islamabad chief commissioner Sohail Ashraf said emergency calls were made just before 7:00 am with teams responding immediately.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes with intense smoke and broken glass, reporting slow emergency response and security guards preventing families from leaving the ward. Khurram Mehmood said he lost his three-day-old daughter and that rescuers took hours to arrive. The incident adds to Pakistan's pattern of deadly fires in public buildings due to poor safety enforcement.