Hospital nursery fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistan's capital, officials order immediate inquiry

A fire erupted early Wednesday in a nursery for newborns at a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, killing 14 babies, according to hospital officials and the government.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1280x960+0+0/resize/1280x960!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F50%2F96%2Fd94f6e344edfbc2a4b612bef6b61%2Fap26238214051379.jpg' alt='Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.'/><p>A fire erupted early Wednesday in a nursery for newborns at a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, killing 14 babies, according to hospital officials and the government.</p><p>(Image credit: M. Yousaf)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5944808' />