82 killed as fire ravages Iraq’s COVID-19 hospital

Saturday, April 24th – A fire erupted in an Iraqi COVID-19 hospital after an oxygen tank exploded killing 82 people and inuring over 100.

According to the Iraqi Health Ministry, 82 people were killed and 110 were injured at the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in Iraq’s capital Baghdad. It was also reported that 28 of the victims were on ventilators in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

The fire was extinguished early morning on Sunday. People took to social media to request for help in finding their loved ones.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sacked hospital officials and also suspended the Health Minister while ordering an investigation and giving the authorities 24 hours to present results. He also announced 3 days of mourning for this tragic event.

With over a million positive for COVID, Iraq’s healthcare system is losing trust and this incident may damage it even further.