Baghdad: At least 82 people were killed and 110 injured at a hospital in Baghdad in a devastating fire incident on Sunday overnight.
The incident occurred at the Ibn Khatib hospital in the Diyala Bridge area of the southeastern Baghdad in Iraq. Media reports said an oxygen tank exploded unleashing the mayhem.
Several ambulances were rushed to the spot to control the situation and rescue those injured by fire. Patients not injured in the incident were also being transferred out of the hospital.
Media outlets quoting  Ali al-Bayati, a spokesman of the country’s independent Human Rights Commission, said  those dead included at least 28 patients on ventilators battling for deadly coronavirus.
According to Iraqi civil defense unit, the fire broke out in the floor designated for the pulmonary intensive care unit. Nearly 90 people were rescued from the hospital out of 120.
Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered an investigation into the tragic incident. Several key hospital officials were fired for the act of negligence.