58 people died in fire in coronavirus ward

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Baghdad (Associated Press)-Iraqi medical officials said the death toll from the catastrophic fire that broke out in a coronavirus hospital ward in southern Iraq the day before rose to 58 people on Tuesday.

Two health officials said that more than 100 people were injured in a fire in the coronavirus ward of the Hussein Teaching Hospital in Nasiriyah City on Monday.

Earlier, officials stated that the fire was caused by a short circuit, but did not provide more details. Another official said that when an oxygen cylinder exploded, the fire broke out. These officials declined to be named because they have no right to talk to reporters.

The new ward that just opened three months ago has 70 beds.

After the fire broke out, Prime Minister Mustafa Kadimi presided over an emergency meeting and ordered the suspension and arrest of the health director, the hospital director and the civil affairs director of Jigar Province where Nasiriyah is located. defense. The government also launched an investigation.

This is the second time this year that a fire in an Iraqi hospital has caused the death of a coronavirus patient. In April, an oxygen tank in Baghdad’s Ibn al-Khateeb hospital exploded, causing a fire and killing at least 82 people.

This incident exposed the general negligence and systematic mismanagement of Iraqi hospitals. Doctors condemned the loose safety rules, especially around oxygen cylinders.

On Monday, Dhi Qar health department spokesperson Ammar al-Zamili told local media that there were at least 63 patients in the ward when the fire started. In a comment to the media, Major General Khalid Bohan, the head of the Iraqi Civil Defense Department, said that the building was constructed of flammable materials and could easily catch fire.

Iraq is in the midst of another severe COVID-19 wave. Last week, the daily coronavirus infection rate peaked, reaching 9,000 new cases.

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