Iraq's PM fires key hospital officials after deadly blaze

Iraq’s prime minister has fired key hospital officials after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit for coronavirus patients, causing deaths and injuries

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime minister fired key hospital officials Sunday hours after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit for coronavirus patients in Baghdad, causing deaths and injuries. Initial reports indicated the fire at Ibh al-Khatib hospital late Saturday was caused when an oxygen cylinder exploded. Firefighters rushed to battle the flames that raged across the second floor of the hospital. Civil defense teams put out flames until the early hours of the morning. Ambulances transported dozens of wounded. There were initial reports of over a dozen dead, but authorities had not released official casualty figures as of midday Sunday. The Health Ministry said at least 200 people were rescued from the scene. The fire came as Iraq grapples with a severe second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Daily virus cases now average around 8,000, the highest since Iraq began recording infection rates early last year. At least 15,200 people have died of coronavirus in Iraq among a total of at least 100,000 confirmed cases.