No fire alarms or sprinklers at Pakistan neonatal unit where fire killed 14, report finds

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images Image caption, A fire tore through the neonatal unit in Islamabad last month, killing 14 newborns

An official inquiry into a Pakistan hospital fire that killed 14 babies last month has found the neonatal unit lacked fire alarms and sprinklers, while firefighters reported that escape routes were "locked or obstructed".

One firefighter, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC he had heard from other rescue workers that entering the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad was "extremely difficult".

"The doors were locked so they had to break through the windows to enter. Even after getting inside, the doors leading towards the ward were locked."

PIMS has not provided a comment on the report and its findings.

The firefighter said he arrived once the blaze had been put out.