Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say

A devastating fire at a maternity ward in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, has left 14 infants dead and their parents demanding answers about the hospital's safety measures.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child unit at PIMS, one of the main state-run hospitals in Islamabad. The hospital's safety protocols were criticized for being inadequate, with some patients having delivered just that night.

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PIMS Hospital Safety Protocols Under Scrutiny

Witnesses claimed there was a long wait for rescue workers to arrive, with some stating they had to break down the door and smash windows to control the flames. The father of one of the victims expressed his grief, saying 'I lost my daughter. She was only three days old.'

The hospital's executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, denied locking the door to the maternity ward but cited the need to protect babies from being stolen.

Rescue teams were criticized for taking almost two hours to reach the scene after the emergency call was first made. Islamabad's Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams arrived 'immediately' but witnesses disputed this claim.

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Long Wait for Rescue Teams

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his 'deep sorrow and heartfelt regret' over the latest blaze and instructed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. He has also suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, a top official in the health department.

Pakistan has dealt with a number of major fires in recent years, with poor safety laws, building codes and lax enforcement often blamed for steep death tolls. Survivors of a fire which killed dozens at a Karachi shopping mall in January this year shared locked exits likely contributed to the high number of fatalities.

It was just after dawn on Wednesday earlier today at a maternity ward in the Pakistani capital when a horrific blaze erupted.

It would go on to kill 14 infants as parents say they waited hours for help to arrive.

Hivsa Walid was near the room at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) medical facility with her sister-in-law, who had given birth days earlier. She initially heard a shout and thought a patient had passed away - but then she saw smoke.