A six-month-old baby girl who was rescued from a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad has died after spending several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The infant, identified by her family as Aizal, was reportedly the only child initially rescued alive from the ward during the fire after a nurse helped remove her from the smoke-filled area.
Several children burned and died in the incident, while Aizal was taken for emergency medical treatment after being affected by smoke.
Doctors continued efforts to save her, but her condition remained critical while she stayed in the ICU, and she later died in the hospital.
Aizal’s mother, Asifa Bibi, told a local television channel that her daughter was six months and 10 days old.
She said Aizal was born on 12 August and was the couple’s first child.
According to her mother, the baby was affected by smoke during the fire. Medical staff attempted to rescue and treat her, but she could not recover.
The fire has left several families mourning the deaths of children and has raised questions about fire safety and emergency procedures in hospitals.
The death of Aizal, who had initially survived the incident, has added to the tragedy for families affected by the fire.
The incident has also renewed attention on emergency evacuation procedures, smoke protection and arrangements for protecting critically ill children during hospital fires.
Questions over the circumstances of the fire and the adequacy of safety measures remain important as authorities assess the incident.
