At least 27 people have died in a fire after oxygen cylinders reportedly exploded at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, officials say.
Key points:
- Initial reports said at least 36 people were wounded
- There were upwards of 120 patients in the hospital at the time of the fire
- The fire was believed to have been caused when one or more oxygen cylinders exploded
Firefighters rushed to put out the flames and clear out patients at the Ibn al-Khatib hospital, which provides care for severe coronavirus patients in its intensive care unit.
“I don’t know how many victims there are, there are so many burned bodies all over the place,” said Dr Sabah al-Kuzaie, who was present at the scene.
Initial reports showed at least 36 people wounded in addition to the 27 dead, according to medical and security officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Iraqi authorities have not released to an official casualty count.
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Other sources said the death toll had reached 30.
There were at least 120 patients in the hospital at the time of the fire, a doctor at the hospital said.
Officials said 90 people were rescued from the hospital and the fire had been extinguished.
Videos on social media showed chaos inside the smoke-filled corridors of the hospital in southern Baghdad as patients and their families tried to flee the building.
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An eyewitness said several ambulances had arrived to take survivors to other facilities nearby.
The fire was believed to have been caused when at least one oxygen cylinder exploded inside the hospital, local media reported.
At least two doctors at the scene confirmed they believed the oxygen cylinder had caused the flames that raged on the second floor of the hospital.
The Iraqi government said Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi ordered an “immediate investigation to uncover the causes of the accident”.
Iraq is in the midst of a severe COVID-19 wave.
Daily coronavirus rates now average above 8,000 new cases, the highest since the pandemic broke out in the country last year.
The government is urging the public to get vaccinated, but demand has been low due to widespread mistrust of the health care system and the vaccines in particular.
ABC/wires
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