State news company of Iraq confirmed that the death numbers mounted to ninety-two in a fire that swept in a COVID-19 ward in the hospital on Tuesday, after tormented relatives buried their loved ones hit out at the govt. over the nation’s 2nd such tragedy within just three months.
The country’s health regulators described that score of others were wounded in the fire that flared up Monday at al-Hussain Teaching Medical Center in Nasiriyah.
The disaster highlighted what several have criticized as extensive mismanagement and negligence in the hospitals of Iraq following decades of sanctions and war.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi (Prime Minister of Iraq) conducted an emergency summit and directed the arrest and suspension of the health official, health director in Dhi Qar province, the city’s civil defense head, and hospital director. Moreover, the Government of Iraq even projected a probe to examine the root cause of the disastrous incident.
Besides this, Mustafa al-Kadhimi labeled the disaster a ‘huge wound in the consciousness of all Iraqis.’ Two of the Iraqi health regulators shared on the condition of anonymity, disturbed the stated death numbers describing eighty-eight had been killed.
Source: Web
Officials aren’t allowed to discuss the matter publicly
At one point, officials described that the fire was developed by a short circuit, and another regulator mentioned that the fire turned into tense nature after an oxygen cylinder blasted. Furthermore, the authorities weren’t allowed to discuss the matter with news agencies and spoke on anonymity condition.
Around eighty-two people, in April, most of them were COVID patients, were killed in a blaze at a Baghdad medical center that erupted when an oxygen cylinder exploded. Moreover, the country’s health minister relinquished over the tragedy.
The killed people from Nasiriyah were laid to rest in Najaf city. Affected families stood near the coffins of their loved ones at a mosque to offer the last prayer. The families full of tears were full of anger, and some are saying the fire could have been controlled. The affected families blamed both the central government and provincial government in Baghdad.
An eye witness of the fire, Ahmed Resan, explained that it started with smoke. He further described that everyone ran away, the employees and even the police, after a few minutes there was an explosion. He continued that firefighters were reached the spot after an hour.
Haidar al-Askari expressed his anger saying that the whole state system has collapsed. He added, who paid the price? He said the people inside here, these people have paid the price.
