ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The bodies of 14 children who died in the PIMS Hospital tragedy have been handed over to their heirs.
On Wednesday morning, 14 newborns were burnt to death in a fire in the nursery of the Gynecology Ward of PIMS Hospital in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, some heirs protested and demanded a DNA test to identify the children. The relatives say that the bodies have been handed over without identification.
Fire takes lives of 14 newborns in Islamabad’s PIMS
In a tragic incident, at least 14 newborns were killed in a massive fire that broke out in the gynac ward’s nursery at the Pakistan Medical Institute of Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, on Wednesday morning.
According to the details, 15 newborns were present in the NICU at the time of the fire, and one baby was rescued. The preliminary investigation reveals that the fire broke out on the third floor of the Gynae ward.
Rescue Officials stated that, as per the initial findings, the fire started at 6:45 am after an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery.
Rescue officials said that the blaze had been extinguished and teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site.
High-level committee constituted to probe PIMS nursery fire incident
A high-level inquiry committee has been formed on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to probe the fire incident at the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which claimed the lives of 14 newborns early Wednesday.
According to the hospital administration, at the time of the fire, 15 newborns were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital, located in Islamabad, of whom only one was rescued.
The fire erupted on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Care Center. Rescue teams were dispatched immediately after receiving information about the incident, the district administration said.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an urgent meeting, suspending the Federal Secretary of Health, Aslam Ghauri, and announcing the formation of a high-level probe committee.
The PM expressed his deep indignation over the fire incident and ordered the strictest possible action. Sharif expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
