At least 14 babies die in Pakistan hospital fire

At least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire on a hospital ward in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the mother and child unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, one of the main state-run hospitals in the city, on Wednesday morning.

An air conditioning unit caught fire, a spokesman for the hospital told the BBC.

There were 15 babies in the ward when the fire broke out, a hospital spokesman said. One baby was rescued.

The babies in the ward were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment, Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News. Oxygen is not flammable on its own, but it can accelerate a fire, making materials burn hotter and faster.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended Federal Secretary of Health Aslam Ghauri, a top official in the health department, removing him from his post.

The PM has been chairing a high-level meeting on the hospital fire, and has expressed "deep anger" at some officials, the information ministry said.

Eyewitnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes at the hospital, including intense smoke and broken glass, with some complaining that rescuers were slow to respond.