Fire in Baghdad hospital leaves 82 dead and 110 injured

He was among the dead At least 28 patients have been intubated with the Covid-19 virusAccording to the spokesman for the independent human rights commission in the country, Ali Al-Bayati. The body is a semi-official body.

Firefighters rushed to put out the flames that engulfed the second floor of the hospital. The Associated Press said that the civil defense teams put out the flames until the early hours of Sunday morning (25). The Ministry of Health stated that At least 200 people have been rescued from the scene.

Ibb Al-Khatib Hospital serves patients with severe cases of Covid-19. According to the Associated Press, He attributed the cause of the fire to the negligence of the authorities From the hospital. Initial reports indicate that the fire started when an oxygen cylinder exploded in the intensive care ward.

In response to the fire, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi sacked the Director General of the Baghdad Health Department in the Rusafa district where the hospital is located. The hospital director, as well as the director of engineering and maintenance, were also dismissed, according to a memo from the Ministry of Health and his office.

After the outbreak of the fire, Al-Kazemi held an emergency meeting at the Baghdad Operations Command, coordinated Iraqi security forces, according to a statement on his Twitter account.

He said at the meeting that the accident was the result of negligence.

He said, “Neglecting in such matters is not a mistake, but a crime for which all neglected parties must bear the responsibility.” He gave the Iraqi authorities 24 hours to present the results of the investigation.

The UN envoy (HIM-HER-ITTo Iraq, Janine Hennes Blashardt expressed her “shock and pain” about the incident in a statement and called for stronger preventive measures in hospitals.

The fire took place in the middle The second wave of the pandemic in Iraq. The daily incidence of COVID-19 is around 8,000 – the highest number since the start of last year. At least 15,200 people have died from the Coronavirus in Iraq out of a total of at least 100,000 confirmed cases.