A fire in a nursery ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad killed at least 14 infants on the date of August 26, 2026, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Geo TV reported a toll of 15, creating an early discrepancy in accounts of the disaster at the state-run hospital.
The blaze began around 7 a.m. on the third floor of the mother-and-child health building. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo TV that an air conditioner exploded and that oxygen in the nursery accelerated the fire. That explanation was an initial official account; Sharif ordered an investigation to establish what happened.
Geo TV said 16 newborns were in the ward and one was rescued. If accurate, those figures corresponded to the broadcaster's toll of 15, while the prime minister's statement confirmed 14 deaths. The supplied evidence did not reconcile the totals or provide the condition of any additional survivor.
Television images showed a heavily burned ward, damaged equipment and lingering smoke. Authorities later sealed off the area. Relatives gathered outside the hospital as emergency work and the initial official response continued. The incident ranked among Pakistan's deadliest recent hospital fires.
Two parents who lost infants criticized safety conditions and staffing. A mother identified as Javeria said there had been no doctor or nurse in the ward, an allegation Kamal denied. A father identified as Mudasir said the building lacked fire protection and adequate exits and that only one door had been available for family access. Their accounts raised specific questions for the inquiry but were not themselves final findings.
Sharif suspended the health secretary after directing authorities to investigate. The decision signalled administrative accountability at an early stage without establishing individual responsibility for the fire. The evidence did not state whether fire-code inspections had previously identified problems, whether alarms or sprinklers functioned, or what maintenance had been performed on the air-conditioning unit.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is one of the main public hospitals serving Islamabad, a city of about 1.1 million people. Government health care is subsidized, but public facilities are described as overburdened and short of resources, and watchdogs have criticized their management. Those broader concerns formed part of the context, while the immediate inquiry needed to determine the ignition source, the role of oxygen, evacuation access and staffing.
As of the event date, the safest confirmed toll was at least 14 infants, with a local broadcaster reporting one more. Reporting the difference preserved the uncertainty while officials investigated a fire that devastated the hospital's nursery ward.
