The incident occurred shortly before 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday at the Mother and Child Centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, where the fire broke out on the third floor.
Local reports later put the death toll at 15, while firefighters were said to have rescued one infant from the nursery before bringing the blaze under control.
The cause of the fire was not immediately confirmed, but preliminary findings indicated that an electrical fault may have triggered the blaze. Officials said a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit was suspected to have caused a short circuit.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy to the families who lost their children and directed authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the tragedy.
In a statement shared on X, the Prime Minister vowed that anyone found responsible would face the “strictest action.”
The incident has renewed concerns over safety standards in Pakistan’s public hospitals, where facilities often operate under pressure from overcrowding, limited funding and management challenges.
Fires in hospitals and other public buildings are not uncommon in the country, with safety regulations and building standards frequently facing enforcement challenges.
The latest tragedy comes months after a fire at a busy shopping complex in Karachi reportedly claimed at least 65 lives in January.
The Islamabad hospital blaze is now being described as one of the country’s most devastating hospital fires, particularly because of the high number of newborns who lost their lives.
