At least 14 infants killed in fire at Islamabad hospital
14 sources across 13 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- Folha de S.Paulo
- La Tercera
- El Espectador
- France 24
- Deutsche Welle
- South China Morning Post
- ANSA
- The Japan Times
- NRC
- Dawn
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
At least 14 newborn babies died on Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in the maternity ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. The blaze occurred on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward. Hospital officials and the Health Minister stated that the fire was caused by a fault or explosion in an air conditioning unit. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal added that oxygen tubes connected to the infants may have accelerated the flames. Out of 15 or 16 babies present in the ward, only one was rescued.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri. The Prime Minister described the loss of children as irreparable and called for the strictest action against those responsible. The hospital's executive director, Rana Imran Sikander, told the BBC that the ward door was manned rather than locked to prevent infant abduction, while several witnesses claimed the door was locked and that staff were absent during the emergency.
Conflicting reports emerged regarding the speed of the rescue operation. The Islamabad district administration and Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf stated that emergency teams arrived immediately. Conversely, multiple witnesses told news agencies that they waited hours for help and were forced to smash windows to escape or rescue others. Some witnesses further alleged that security guards prevented people from leaving the building.
Reports from center-left outlets emphasize the tragedy as a result of criminal negligence and systemic failure, highlighting demands from politicians and journalists for high level accountability. Center and center-right reports focus more on the immediate cause of the fire and the official government response. Several sources noted that such incidents are frequent in Pakistan due to poor building codes and lax safety enforcement.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Framed the event as a consequence of criminal negligence and systemic rot within the healthcare system.
- Centre
- Focused on the official death toll, the cause of the fire, and the government's call for an investigation.
- Centre-right
- Emphasized the air conditioning fault and the immediate actions taken by the Prime Minister.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Pakistan: fire in a gynecology ward, 14 newborns dead in Islamabad
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Locked inside: Grief and anger as Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 newborns
- Centre BBC News: Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say
- Centre-left Dawn: 'Heads must roll': Politicians, journalists demand accountability as Pims fire claims lives of 14 infants
- Centre-left Dawn: 14 infants killed in fire at Pims' gynae ward in Islamabad
- Centre-left Dawn: No lessons learnt: A timeline of hospital fires reported in Pakistan since 2010
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Pakistan: Islamabad hospital fire kills at least 14 infants
- Centre-left El Espectador: Fire in neonatal unit in Pakistan leaves 14 babies dead
- Centre-left El Pais: At least 15 newborns die in a hospital fire in Pakistan
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Hospital fire in Pakistan kills 15 babies
- Centre France 24: Pakistan: 14 infants killed in maternity ward fire
- Centre-right La Tercera: Pakistan: 14 babies die in a fire at a hospital in the capital
- Centre NRC: At least 14 newborn babies died in fire at Pakistani hospital
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: At least 14 newborns die in Pakistan hospital fire triggered by air-con fault
- Centre-left The Guardian: At least 14 newborn babies die in fire at Pakistan hospital’s maternity ward
- Centre The Japan Times: ‘Black smoke’ chokes Pakistan maternity ward as hospital fire kills 14 infants
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.