Newborn Dies After Incubator Catches Fire In Children's Hospital's Surgical Ward

An incubator caught fire at a hospital in Pakistan on Thursday morning, killing a newborn girl.

Police said a two-day-old girl died of suffocation in the fire that was caused by a short-circuit in the incubator. The incident took place on the second floor of National Institute of Child Health.

Confirming the incident, Dr. Jamal Raza, the executive director of the hospital said the “malfunction of equipment possibly led to an incident of fire in the surgical ward.”

“The fire was controlled swiftly with an extinguisher and patients were evacuated. However, the baby in the incubator could not survive,” he added.

According to local reports, neither the police nor the fire department was informed immediately by the hospital authorities about the incident.

Meanwhile, a police officer said the baby’s body was taken away by her parents even before the medico-legal formalities were completed. An internal inquiry into the fire accident was being conducted.

Syed Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh, expressed condolences over the baby’s death. He has sought a detailed report and has asked the hospital management to take the necessary steps to ensure that such accidents don’t happen again.