ISLAMABAD, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday constituted a high-level committee to investigate the deaths of 14 infants at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
At least 14 infants were killed when a fire broke out in the gynecology ward of the hospital early Wednesday morning.
Expressing profound grief and sorrow over the tragic incident, the prime minister said that such a situation with children is irreparable, according to the statement from the prime minister's office.
Talking to local media, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the infants in the ward were either in incubators or receiving oxygen support when the incident occurred.
He said the fire broke out at around 6:40 a.m. local time (0140 GMT) following what he described as a "blast in the air conditioner" inside the ward, adding that investigators are looking into the incident. ■