Only surviving baby in PIMS fire tragedy succumbs to her injuries

The only child, who had survived Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) fire, finally breathed her last on Thursday morning, bringing the total number of newborns dying in the incident to 15, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The girl named Eezal Waqas was a premature baby, and was admitted at a hospital.

She had been saved by a nurse named Razia Noreen. Eazal belonged to Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 

As many as 14 newborns had died after fire ripped through a nursery in Pims’ Mother and Child Hospital on August 26, sending shockwaves across the country and prompting calls for bringing those responsible to justice. 

Tamgha-i-Shujaat for nurse

President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the conferment of Tamgha-i-Shujaat upon Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) staff nurse Razia Noreen, who demonstrated exceptional courage by risking her life to rescue the sole surviving child during a fire incident at the hospital.

The recognition follows the tragic fire at PIMS hospital’s neonatal nursery on August 26, 2026, which broke out during the early morning hours and claimed the lives of 14 infants.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier met with nurse Razia Noreen and presented her with a cheque of Rs10 million and had also announced a national award for her, praising her selfless devotion to duty and exceptional bravery.

President Zardari also approved other summaries on different legislative and institutional matters including The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) Amendment Bill, 2026, The Standard Time (Interpretation of References) Amendment Bill, 2026, and another bill related to the environmentally sound management of hazardous materials in ships, besides approving the Revision of the Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) for the Armed Forces Institute of Urology (AFIU) Rawalpindi.

Reporter: Babar Shahzad Turk