Oxygen tank explosion causes fire at COVID-19 hospital's ICU unit in Iraq, 82 killed

Baghdad: In a highly tragic incident, at least 82 people died and 110 were injured  at a hospital in Baghdad in a catastrophic fire incident. According to media reports, the fire broke out after an accident caused an oxygen tank to explode on Sunday overnight at the Ibn Khatib hospital in the Diyala Bridge area of the southeastern Baghdad in Iraq. 

Upon Acknowledging the incident, several ambulances were rushed towards the hospital to control the situation and rescue those hurt by the fire. Patients not injured in the incident were also being transferred out of the hospital.

AP reports quoted Ali al-Bayati, a spokesman of the country's independent Human Rights Commission who confirmed the incident as saying, "Among the dead were at least 28 patients on ventilators battling severe symptoms of the coronavirus."

Iraqi civil defense unit head reportedly said that the fire broke out in the floor designated for the pulmonary intensive care unit and that 90 people have been rescued from the hospital out of 120.  

Meanwhile, Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered an investigation and fired key hospital officials Sunday hours after the fire broke out. Negligence on the part of hospital authorities has been blamed for the fire.