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

After dawn on Wednesday, a fire ignited in the air‑conditioning unit on the third floor of the maternity and pediatric wing at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, killing 14 newborns. Hivsa Walid, who was at the hospital with her sister‑in‑law who had given birth days earlier, said she first heard a cry and thought a patient had died before noticing smoke. She and her sister‑in‑law fled with the infant, who is so tiny it has not yet been named. "We didn't adjacent deliberation astir our belongings. We conscionable grabbed the babe and rushed downstairs," Walid recalled. She added, "Some patients had delivered their babies just that night. I don't adjacent cognize however we managed to get down - it was each a blur." Only one of the 15 babies present in the ward survived the blaze. Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP that he lost his daughter, who was only three days old. Jaweria, the mother of another victim, said the door to the maternity ward was locked. "For 2 hours I kept crying and wailing," she said. "Police arrived aft 4 hours and said they are present to investigate." She questioned, "Why did the doctors permission the children there?" and added, "To hellhole with you, rescue squad and police. Babies burnt to decease there, but cipher could prevention them." The incident underscores delays in rescue efforts, with parents reporting they waited hours for assistance to arrive.