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Fire kills 14 babies at Islamabad hospital, parents allege delay
BBC News··27 Aug
A fire broke out in an air-conditioning unit at Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday. It killed 14 of the 15 babies in the third-floor mother and child unit. Parents told AFP rescue teams took about two hours. The hospital's executive director said the ward door was manned, not locked. Witnesses said staff were absent.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Only one of the 15 babies in the ward survived the fire.
- Parents said they waited about two hours for rescue teams and four hours for police.
- The dispute over whether the ward door was locked determines where responsibility falls.
What's Happening
- The blaze began in an air-conditioning unit on the third floor shortly after dawn.
- Executive director Rana Imran Sikander said the door was manned to prevent infant theft, not locked.
- Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said rescue teams reached the scene immediately after the call.
What Witnesses Describe
- One father told Reuters the building had no fire security and no proper exits.
- People broke down a door and rescue teams smashed windows to reach the fire.
- PIMS is one of the largest state-run hospitals in Pakistan's capital.
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