More than a dozen newborn babies have died after a fire broke out inside a maternity ward in a Pakistan hospital.

The fire is now said to be under control after rescue teams attended the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad,with those injured taken to the ICU.

Parents of the infants who were killed in the fire have gathered outside the hospital in tears.

One newborn out of the 15 babies who were in the ward was rescued,a hospital spokesperson told BBC News.

A man also told the publication that his three-day-old baby had died.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the mother and child unit in the PIMS hospital,which is one of the main state-run hospitals in the city.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Police officers outside the intensive care unit at the PIMS hospital in Islamabad (Picture: Reuters)Parents of the infants who were killed gathered outside the hospital in tears (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Workers remove shards of broken windows following a fire at the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at the PIMS Hospital in Islamabad (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he expresses ‘deep sorrow’ and has ordered an immediate inquiryA committee has been tasked with producing a report within 24 hours.The country’s president,Asif Ali Zardari,also said those responsible for the fire should be identified and legal action taken.‘Effective fire safety and emergency arrangements should be ensured for the protection of patients in hospitals,especially newborn babies,’ he said in a post on social media.The president added that he extends his ‘heartfelt condolences and sympathy’ to the families,describing the death of newborn babies as a ‘heart-breaking and irreparable loss’.Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at . Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.For more stories like this,check our news page.Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.