A fire broke out at the Al-Hussein hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that was brought under control by local civil defence forces.
At least 52 people have died and 22 wereinjured when a massive fire engulfed the coronavirus isolation ward of an Iraqi hospital.
Haydar al-Zamili, the local health authority's spokesperson, said early Tuesday 52 bodies were retrieved and another 22 people were wounded in the latest toll, after the fire had "ripped through the Covid isolation ward".
"The victims died of burns and the search is continuing," he added, noting that there were fears people could still be trapped inside the building.
The fire broke out at the Al-Hussein hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah late Monday and was brought under control by local civil defence forces.
The ward had space for 70 beds.
A medical source with the health directorate told AFP the "main reason behind the fire... was the explosion of oxygen tanks".
In Iraq, at least 54 people were killed today when a fire broke out on a COVID isolation ward in Imam Al-Hussein Hospital. pic.twitter.com/VldsFpH15M
— Cleavon MD (@Cleavon_MD) July 13, 2021
The deadly hospital blaze is the second such fire in Iraq in three months.
Outside the hospital, dozens of young demonstrators protested.
"The (political) parties have burned us," they shouted in unison.
The fire also prompted furious calls on social media for the resignation of top officials.
Local authorities imposed a state of emergency in Dhi Qar governorate, of which Nasiriyah is the capital, and ordered doctors on leave to help treat the injured.
More than 50 people have died after a fire broke out in a coronavirus isolation ward at the Al-Hussein hospital in Iraq @Ma3Route pic.twitter.com/DjmaY7L1Tm
— The African Voice (@teddyeugene) July 13, 2021
In April, a fire at a Baghdad Covid-19 hospital killed 82 and injured 110, sparked by the explosion of badly stored oxygen cylinders.
Many of the victims in the April fire were on respirators and were burned or suffocated in the resulting inferno that spread rapidly through the hospital, where dozens of relatives were visiting patients in the intensive care unit.
The April fire led to widespread anger, resulting in the suspension and subsequent resignation of then health minister Hassan al-Tamimi.
Iraq – where the oil-reliant economy is still recovering from decades of war and insurgency, and where many people live in poverty – has recorded over 1.4 million coronavirus cases and more than 17,000 deaths.
Much of the country's health infrastructure is dilapidated and investment in public services is limited by endemic corruption.
Since the coronavirus vaccine rollout began in March, Iraqi health authorities have fully inoculated only around one percent of the country's roughly 40 million people.
Earlier on Monday, a minor fire broke out at the health ministry's headquarters in Baghdad, but it was quickly contained with no fatalities recorded.
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(With input from news agency language)
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