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92 killed in Covid hospital fire in Iraq
Oxygen tank blast is likely to have caused the deadly inferno in Nasiriyah city, Iraq
The death toll from a fire that tore through a Covid-19 hospital in southern Iraq rose to 92, health officials said on Tuesday, as authorities faced accusations of negligence from grieving relatives.
More than 100 people - patients and visitors - were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya, officials said.
An investigation showed the fire began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that exploded, authorities said.
It was Iraq’s second such tragedy in three months, and the country’s president on Tuesday blamed corruption for both. A statement from the prime minister’s office called for national mourning.
Rescue teams were using a heavy crane to remove the charred and melted remains of the part of the city’s al-Hussain hospital where Covid-19 patients were being treated, as relatives gathered nearby.
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(With inputs from Yashwant Raj)
