August 26, 2026 / 1:48 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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Islamabad — A fire at a nursery in a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital killed at least 14 newborns, hospital officials and the government said.The nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences housed at least 15 newborns when the fire broke out, hospital officials said. At least one baby was rescued. Rescue officials said the fire began at about 6:45 a.m., apparently after the compressor of an air-conditioning unit exploded inside the nursery, which is part of the hospital's gynecology ward.Firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the blaze, and rescue teams were carrying out cooling operations at the site, local media reported.The ward was cordoned off and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building, a witness told the Reuters news service.
A mother reacts after the death of her child following 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.
