China News Service, July 13th. According to foreign media reports, Iraqi health officials and police said on the 12th that a fire broke out in a hospital in the southern city of Nasiriyah that treats COVID-19 patients, causing dozens of deaths and injuries. The cause of the fire is likely to be The oxygen cylinder exploded.
At present, the number of deaths and injuries reported by various media varies. Reuters said at least 44 people were killed and 67 injured, and Agence France-Presse said at least 52 people were killed and 22 injured. The Associated Press and the Guardian website said that the fire caused at least 50 deaths and dozens Human injury.
Data map: On April 24, 2021, a fire broke out in a hospital in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, that treated patients with COVID-19.
This is Iraq’s second fire in a hospital where COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital in the past three months.
On April 24, a fire accident occurred in a designated hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, which caused 82 deaths and 110 injuries.
This tragic accident caused anger among the people, demanding that officials be held accountable.
The Iraqi medical system has long been hit hard by wars and sanctions, and it is difficult to cope with the epidemic crisis.
Rescuers continued to search for more remains in the hospital building where the smoke was spreading.
The Iraqi Prime Minister Kadimi’s office said in a brief statement that Kadimi held an emergency meeting with ministers and the highest security commander to discuss the tragic incident.
Health officials in Nasiriyah City said that the fire has been brought under control and search and rescue missions continue, but the heavy smoke makes it difficult to enter some burned wards.
A Reuters reporter at the fire scene said: "Ambulance personnel carried the charred remains out of the fire at the hospital. Many patients have been coughing because of the smoke."
On July 13, 2021, a man inspected the fire scene in a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq where patients with the new crown were admitted.
An ambulance worker said before entering the building’s fire scene: “The raging fire has caused many patients to be trapped in the COVID-19 ward, and it is difficult for the rescue team to approach them.”
A policeman at the scene said that the initial police report showed that the explosion of the oxygen cylinder in the hospital's new crown ward was likely to be the cause of the fire.
A hospital guard who assisted the wounded to leave the fire scene said: "I heard a loud explosion in the ward, and then a fire broke out soon."
Medical sources said that the death toll from the fire may continue to rise, and many patients remain unaccounted for.
They said that the victims included 2 medical staff.
Witnesses said that some angry family members gathered in front of the hospital and clashed with the police and even set fire to two police cars.
A young man searching for his father's body said: "This fire caused the death of innocent patients, so corrupt officials must be held accountable."