PIMS tragedy: Initial report says newborns died from oxygen cutoff, burns

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) administration has prepared an initial report on the fire that killed 15 newborns at the hospital’s nursery.

According to the report, a nebuliser used to indicate the amount of oxygen attached to an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) burst, causing the oxygen to catch fire.

The initial report said the fire generated smoke, which entered the babies’ airways through the pipes. It added that the children died due to oxygen supply being cut off and burn injuries.

According to the report, the fire was initially small but spread rapidly.

The incident occurred early Wednesday morning. Rescue sources said the fire broke out at around 6:45am after an air-conditioner compressor exploded in the nursery.

Hospital authorities said 16 babies were present in the nursery when the fire broke out. Only one child could be rescued, while 15 died.