The fire was declared on the third floor of the maternal and child health service of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), according to a statement released by the Islamabad district office.
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“A total of 14 children died in the incident,” the statement added, quoting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who called for an investigation into the incident.
Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP that he lost his three-day-old baby in the fire, and that rescuers took hours to arrive.
“My wife was in the maternity ward, everyone was evacuated. We were sitting on the road waiting for help,” he said.
A mother with soot stains on her hands carried her 10-day-old baby outside the hospital.
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“People were screaming, there was black smoke. We ran for our lives, thank God my baby is safe,” Shagufta Parveen told AFP.
An AFP journalist saw other families crying as a man collected glass from two broken windows.
Aneeza Jalil, PIMS spokesperson, said the fire was caused by an electrical problem, and that the fire originated from the air conditioning unit.
Poor safety laws and building codes make fires frequent in Pakistani buildings.
