ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Fourteen newborns who died in a fire at the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) were laid to rest on Thursday, as grief engulfed their families.
The infants, who had brought joy to 14 families, were buried in Rawalpindi and Islamabad amid emotional scenes. Bereaved parents said no inquiry or punishment could bring their children back.
One grieving mother said her family had welcomed a child after four years, only to lose the newborn within days.
Another father said he had accepted the tragedy as the will of God, while describing the loss as unbearable.
A resident of Shamsabad, Rawalpindi, whose newborn daughter died in the incident, criticised the condition of the hospital, saying the facility was too small to cater to the needs of the area’s large population and lacked adequate medical services.
He called on the government to improve healthcare facilities and ensure accountability over the incident.
According to the hospital administration’s preliminary report, a nebuliser used to measure oxygen levels alongside an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) reportedly burst, causing the oxygen to catch fire.
The report said the blaze generated smoke that entered the infants’ breathing system through the piping. It added that the children died due to oxygen disruption and burns.