Iran Sympathizes with Iraq after Deadly Hospital Blaze
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson expressed condolences to Iraq over deaths in a blaze at Nasiriya hospital’s coronavirus ward, the second incident to hit a COVID unit at an Iraqi hospital in three months.
In a statement on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh offered condolences to the Iraqi government and nation on the fatalities in the fire at the Al-Hussein hospital in the southern city of Nasiriya.
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to provide whatever medical and health assistance necessary for Iraq.
At least 52 people have been killed in the fire at the coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital in Nasiriya.
The fire broke out late on Monday and was brought under control by civil defense teams.
A medical source with the health directorate said the main reason behind the fire was the explosion of oxygen tanks.
Haydar al-Zamili, the local health authority’s spokesperson, said early on Tuesday that 52 bodies had been retrieved while 22 people had been hurt after the fire had “ripped through the COVID isolation ward”.
The ward had 70 beds.
The blaze at the Nasiriya hospital is the second such tragedy this year.
In April, a fire at a Baghdad COVID-19 hospital sparked by the explosion of badly stored oxygen cylinders killed 82 people and injured 110 others.