Pak hospital nursery ward fire: Death toll climbs to 9

Another 15 babies are being treated at the paediatric medicine intensive care unit of Services Hospital and the condition of two of them is serious, the officials said.

A fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit, broke out in the nursery ward of the hospital on Thursday.

The hospital did not have a single fire extinguisher in the ward.

Three babies were killed instantly and three others died a few hours later.

Two more babies died last night while one more lost his life sometime earlier, the officials said.

The hospital's administration has alerted doctors treating the babies who survived the fire to provide them the best care possible.

The parents of the dead babies and their relatives organised a protest outside the hospital yesterday and demanded action against those responsible for the tragic incident.