Islamabad: At least 14 babies die in Pakistan hospital fire

At least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire on a hospital ward in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the mother and child unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, one of the main state-run hospitals in the city, on Wednesday morning.

An air conditioning unit caught fire, a spokesman for the hospital told the BBC.

There were 15 babies in the ward when the fire broke out, a hospital spokesman said. One baby was rescued.

The babies in the ward were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment, Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News. Oxygen is not flammable on its own, but it can accelerate a fire, making materials burn hotter and faster.

Emergency responders rescued at least 19 other people from the hospital, including 10 women, seven children and two men.

The newborn babies who died in the fire have been badly burnt, and will need to be identified in through DNA tests, police said.

Only after the DNA tests can the bodies be returned to their parents.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret" over the hospital fire, and instructed the authorities to "conduct an immediate investigation", according to the statement from his office.

"Such a situation with children is irreparable", the statement said.

Islamabad's District Magistrate has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the fire which must produce a report "within 24 hours".

Outside the hospital, one man told the BBC his three-day-old baby had died in the fire.

There was a sense of shock among the families who gathered by the entrance, crying by the side of the ward.

Hivsa Walid told the BBC she was inside the hospital when the fire broke out, with her sister-in-law who had given birth in the days before.

She said they were in the nursery opposite the room where the fire started. They heard a shout and initially thought someone had died but then saw the smoke. They grabbed the baby - who is so young she's not yet been named - and ran.

Police have been patrolling the entrance of the hospital, and the glass from shattered windows lay scattered on the pavement mixed with medical masks.

The PIMS is one of the biggest hospitals in Pakistan's capital, with 156 beds in its maternal and child health unit.

Pakistan has dealt with a number of major fires in recent years, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.

In January, a fire ripped through the Gul Plaza shopping centre in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, killing 67 people.

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