At least fourteen newborn babies have been killed in a fire at one of Pakistan's largest public hospitals in Islamabad, after an air-conditioning compressor exploded in a third-floor nursery early on Wednesday morning.
The blaze broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences just before seven o'clock local time, with rescue officials saying fifteen infants were inside the ward when the fire erupted.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the deaths and ordered an immediate investigation.
Hira Mustafa reports from Islamabad.
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Reporter Hira Mustafa in Islamabad says the district administration has formed an inquiry committee and has been given twenty-four hours to identify the cause of the fire.
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Hira Mustafa in Islamabad says the tragedy has sent shockwaves across Pakistan, with growing public anger directed at the hospital authorities over their failure to save the infants.
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