14 newborns killed in fire at Pakistan hospital, doctor says

President Asif Ali Zardari reportedly said it was a "an irreparable loss."

14 newborns killed in fire at Pakistan hospital, doctor says
Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
ByJon Haworth
August 26, 2026, 4:02 AM

Fourteen newborns were killed in a fire at a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, according to a hospital doctor.

Rescue officials said the fire began around 6:45 a.m. after an air-conditioning unit compressor exploded inside the nursery in the gynecology ward, according to The Associated Press.

PHOTO: TOPSHOT-PAKISTAN-HOSPITAL-FIRE
TOPSHOT - A man consoles a grieving father (C) as his child's coffin is carried after a fire outside the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 26, 2026. A fire erupted in a hospital maternity ward in Islamabad on August 26 killing 14 infants, Pakistan authorities said, blaming a faulty air conditioner for the blaze.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who posted on social media, expressed sorrow over the deaths.

President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as "heartbreaking and an irreparable loss," the AP reported.

"A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, according to the AP, as he ordered an investigation into the incident.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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