At least 14 newborns have died after a fire broke out at a hospital's maternity ward in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
The fire broke out in an air-conditioning unit at the mother and child unit in PIMS hospital, and was quickly ignited by oxygen connections, a spokesperson told BBC Urdu.
One newborn has been rescued of the 15 babies who were in the ward at the time, a hospital spokesperson confirms to the BBC.
Families have gathered outside the hospital - many in tears, with one man telling the BBC that his three-day-old baby had died.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expresses "deep sorrow" and orders an immediate inquiry. A committee has been formed to produce a report within 24 hours
Ex-ministers demand health minister's resignation
Two former federal ministers, Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari, have sought the resignation of Pakistani Health Minister Mustafa Kamal over the hospital fire.
Chaudhry says Kamal must take responsibility for the fire that killed 14 newborns. He adds a suspension or transfer to another department would not be enough.
Mizrai says the hospital has been suffering from negligence, mismanagement and corruption.
As we just reported, a hospital official told the BBC that guards were manning the ward to prevent babies from being stolen.
Hospital director denies door to maternity ward was locked
There have been questions about whether the door to the hospital maternity ward had been locked, trapping the babies inside.
But executive director of PIMS Rana Imran Sikander tells the BBC the door was not locked, but manned instead.
He said this was to protect babies from being stolen from the ward, something that has happened before at government hospitals.
Legal action should be taken against those responsible, president says
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said those responsible for the fire should be identified and legal action taken.
"Effective fire safety and emergency arrangements should be ensured for the protection of patients in hospitals, especially newborn babies," he says in a post on social media.
The president also expresses "grief and sorrow" and extends his "heartfelt condolences and sympathy" to the families.
The deaths of newborn babies is a "heart-breaking and irreparable loss", he says.
What we know so far
Fourteen newborns have died in a fire at one of Pakistan's largest hospitals. Here's what you need to know:
- The fire broke out at the maternity ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. It started in an air-conditioning unit and was quickly ignited by oxygen connections
- There were 15 newborns in the ward at the time of the fire and only one was rescued, according to a hospital spokesperson
- A fact-finding committee is due to produce a report within 24 hours, as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep sorrow and heartfelt regret" over the incident
- Anguished parents have gathered outside the hospital, as authorities say the bodies will undergo DNA testing for identification
- There is a sense of shock at the hospital as people come to terms with what happened, our Pakistan correspondent Carrie Davies writes
- Pakistan is no stranger to deadly fires, with past incidents blamed on poor enforcement of building safety laws. Earlier this year, 67 people died at a shopping centre fire in Karachi
