Terrible fire in Pakistan: 15 babies killed
At least 15 newborn babies died in a fire that broke out in the maternity ward of a hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday morning.
A massive fire in Pakistan has killed 15 babies, Reuters reported, citing local media.
The fire broke out at around 7am on August 26 in the maternity and child care ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). According to rescuers, the tragic fire on the third floor was caused by an explosion in an air conditioner in the baby room.
There were 16 newborn babies in the ward when the fire broke out, only one of whom was saved by doctors.
BBC Urdu quoted a hospital official as saying that the fire started in an air conditioning unit and quickly spread through oxygen lines. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that the babies in the ward where the fire broke out were either in incubators or connected to oxygen equipment.
A Reuters witness said the area around the ward had been cordoned off and dozens of ambulances had gathered outside the hospital.
**Everyone is in shock**
A BBC correspondent at the scene said there was still a state of shock outside the hospital. Police were patrolling the entrance. Fire engines were parked outside, and the corridor was littered with medical masks and broken windows.
"We saw families crying outside the ward after losing their babies. One man said his three-day-old baby had died," the BBC correspondents reported.
Police said the babies who died in the fire were badly burned and needed DNA tests to identify them. Only after DNA tests can the bodies be returned to their parents, police said.