The incident happened in Peshawar’s Khyber Teaching Hospital on Sunday.

Meanwhile, seven officials of the hospital, including the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) director, have been suspended after an inquiry committee found they were negligent in performing their duties which caused the deaths of the patients due to shortage in oxygen supply.

According to the preliminary report prepared by a three-member committee and submitted today, the on-duty manager of services line told the committee that on the day of the incident he received a call from the hospital's operation theatre regarding low oxygen pressure, reports Dawn News.

On receiving the complaint, he called the oxygen plant's manager, who did not receive his phone, after which the former visited the plant in person and found that the two officials, who were supposed to be on duty, were absent. The oxygen plant pressure at that moment was zero, the report said.

The inquiry report noted that there was "no emergency rescue squad as required for disaster management under such conditions", the newspaper reported.

"Any other expiry (if any) in isolation or other wards of the hospital due to disruption in oxygen supply will be confirmed and submitted in detail(ed) report," the inquriy committee said.

Pakistan is currently facing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases.

The death toll due to the disease is currently 8398 in the country.