At least 15 babies died in a fire on Wednesday at a state-run hospital in Islamabad that was triggered by faulty air conditioning, local media reported.
Sixteen newborns were in the maternity ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital when the fire broke out at around 7am local time, local broadcaster Geo TV reported. One of the babies was rescued, it added.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an immediate investigation, his office said. Local media blamed the fire on a fault in the air conditioning system.
The incident is one of Pakistan's deadliest hospital fires in recent years. Government health care is subsidised but facilities are under-resourced and overburdened. Watchdogs have frequently criticised state-run facilities for being mismanaged.
“Those responsible should be identified, and the strictest action should be taken,” Mr Sharif's office said in a statement.
The ward was cordoned off and ambulances were seen outside the hospital building, according to a Reuters witness.
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was briefly treated at the hospital last week.
There was no immediate comment from the hospital or authorities on the incident. It is one of the main public hospitals in the city of around 1.1 million people.
