Dozens Dead After Oxygen Tank Explosion in An Iraqi Hospital

By
Dan Ojumah
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A fire at a hospital in southeastern Baghdad that was treating coronavirus patients killed 82 people and wounded 110 others.

According to medical reports, an oxygen tank exploded at the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in the Diyala Bridge region of the Iraqi capital, causing the fire.

A COVID-19 patient is prepared for evacuation in an ambulance outside the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
A COVID-19 patient is prepared for evacuation in an ambulance outside the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
People gather outside Ibn al-Khatib Hospital after the deadly blaze. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
People gather outside Ibn al-Khatib Hospital after the deadly blaze. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
There were at least 120 patients in the hospital at the time of the fire, a doctor said. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
There were at least 120 patients in the hospital at the time of the fire, a doctor said. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
Patients not injured in the incident were transferred out of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
Patients not injured in the incident were transferred out of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
Iraq is in the middle of a severe COVID-19 wave with rates averaging more than 8,000 new cases daily - the highest since the pandemic broke out last year. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]
Iraq is in the middle of a severe COVID-19 wave with rates averaging more than 8,000 new cases daily – the highest since the pandemic broke out last year. [Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters]

Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s prime minister, has launched an inquiry into the deadly fire and has promised to hold everyone responsible.

On social media, videos showed firefighters attempting to put out fires at the hospital while patients and their families attempted to evacuate. People reportedly jumped out of windows to avoid the fire, according to witnesses.

The incident sparked outrage on social media, with Iraqis angry at the government and calling for the firing of the health minister.

Iraq’s hospitals have been worn down by decades of conflict and poor investment with shortages in medicines and hospital beds.

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