Pims fire: PM Shehbaz orders suspension of 8 officials as inquiry panel submits interim report

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the suspension of eight officials and criminal proceedings against them, following an interim report from the inquiry into the fire at Pakistan's Institute of Medical Sciences that killed fourteen infants. The blaze broke out in the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre's nursery on Wednesday, reportedly starting as a spark before rapidly spreading due to oxygen points at each incubator. Dawn reports that witnesses described delays reaching the ward and difficulty entering, though the hospital and government have disputed claims that emergency exits were locked. The government has offered five million rupees in compensation to each affected family, while parliament has called for a broader inquiry into hospital safety standards.

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