A tragic fire broke out in a maternity hospital in southern Iraq last night, resulting in the death of at least four infants and causing about 20 other cases of suffocation.
The Minister of Health and the Red Crescent reported that the fire was caused by an electrical fault.
The Red Crescent confirmed the deaths of four children in the fire at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the center of Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, one of the main government hospitals in the city.
A medical source indicated that smoke inhalation was responsible for the twenty cases of suffocation.
During a press conference at the hospital, Minister of Health Saleh Al-Hasnawi explained that the fire occurred outside the hospital wards in debris, some of which included paper and other materials from a company working on the hospital’s rehabilitation.
He added that this led to smoke spreading inside the hospital, although the flames did not reach the building. The hospital staff evacuated patients, particularly the critically ill newborns, but unfortunately, four infants succumbed to chest-related illnesses.
The Iraqi Red Crescent, which stated that the fire was caused by an electrical contact, reported the evacuation of 150 children and 190 of their companions following the fire. The fire touched one of the hospital’s walls but did not cause significant damage.
In response to the incident, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered the suspension of officials responsible for the oversight and called for an investigation into the contracting company responsible for the hospital’s rehabilitation.
This incident comes after a fire during a wedding ceremony in the northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh killed more than 107 people, with authorities attributing the cause to fireworks and highly flammable building materials.
