Iraq prime minister orders arrests after hospital blaze kills 92

PM and president blame the fire at Nasiriyah's Al Hussein Hospital on corruption and political interference

A fire ripped through and destroyed a Covid-19 unit at a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq.

More than 90 people died in the fire that destroyed much of a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq.

The exact cause of the blaze at Al Hussein hospital is not clear, but local media reports suggested it broke out after an oxygen tank exploded.

Witnesses described fire crews battling the blaze in a Covid-19 ward as it spread quickly through the building.

A view of the damage caused by the fire at Al Hussein hospital in Nasiriyah.

People inspect the damage after a fire at a hospital in the city of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. At least 92 people were killed while dozens were injured.

Initial police reports suggest an oxygen tank explosion in the hospital's Covid-19 ward caused the fire.

Health sources said the death toll could rise because many patients were still missing.

Angry relatives of patients gathered in front of the hospital where they clashed with police.

Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the corruption and mismanagement that he said led to the catastrophe.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi ordered the suspension and arrest of health and civil defence managers.

Iraq's healthcare system is struggling to cope with the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 17,592 people and infected more than 1.4 million.

There is little left to salvage after the catastrophic blaze.

Search operations continued after the fire was brought under control, but thick smoke made work difficult.

'I heard a big explosion inside the coronavirus wards and then fire erupted very quickly,' said Ali Muhsin, a hospital guard who helped to carry injured patients away from the fire.

A hospital fire in southern Iraq that killed 92 people Tuesday has led Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi to order the arrest of health administrators.

There is no official word yet on the cause of the blaze, but reports suggested it could have been sparked by an oxygen tank explosion on a Covid-19 ward.

Both the prime minister and the president blamed the fire on corruption and political interference in the management of the hospital, and vowed to take action.

The death toll rose throughout Tuesday as teams cleared the building and doctors at nearby hospitals treated the wounded. Iraqi state news agency put the death toll at 92 by early evening, with nearly 70 injured.

Mr Al Kadhimi held urgent meetings with senior ministers and ordered the suspension and arrest of the facility's head as well as health and civil defence managers at the hospital in the southern city of Nasiriyah, his office said.

He opened an immediate investigation and said the findings would be published within a week.

“We will not tolerate corrupt people or those who manipulate the lives of citizens, regardless of their affiliation,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.

He said there was an “urgent need to launch a comprehensive administrative reform process in the Health Ministry". Mr Al Kadhimi said the most important reform would be to separate administrative work from political influence.

In April, health minister Hassan Al Tamimi resigned after a fire at a Baghdad hospital, caused by an oxygen tank explosion, which killed 82 and injured 110. He was not replaced.

Mr Al Kadhimi said on Tuesday that he had presented a candidate to parliament for approval.

Authorities were unable to immediately identify 30 of the bodies due to the extent of the burns, said Ali Al Bayati, a member of Iraq's Human Rights Commission.

“The absence of accountability and punishment as well as impunity encourages officials to not care for safety measures in such institutions, so that's why the fire happened,” Mr Al Bayati told The National.

“We insist the government reopen the investigation into corruption in the Health Ministry since 2003 and bring those responsible to account because it's an accumulation of negligence and corruption,” he said.

Iraq's ministries have an inspector general responsible for investigating corruption, but they are widely seen as being powerless to prosecute officials.

A 2014 UN report on countering corruption in Iraq found that the inspector generals' offices were often undermined “by personal and political arbitrary interventions and tribal loyalties”.

Iraq's hospitals were struggling to provide quality care even before the Covid-19 pandemic. The health care system has been wrecked by years of mismanagement, a lack of accountability, violence and factionalism since the US-led invasion in 2003 and before that by years of sanctions.

Witnesses described fire crews battling the blaze in the hospital's Covid-19 wards as it spread quickly through the building.

“Raging fires have trapped many patients inside the coronavirus ward and rescue teams are struggling to reach them,” a health worker said before entering the burning building.

“I heard a big explosion inside the coronavirus wards and then the fire had erupted very quickly,” said Ali Muhsin, a hospital guard who was helping to carry wounded patients away from the fire.

Health officials in Nasiriyah said search operations at Al Hussein Hospital continued after the fire was brought under control, but thick smoke was making it difficult to enter some wards.

Images and videos circulated online of relatives of the victims protesting outside the hospital.

They set fire to two police vehicles.

“Corrupt officials must be held accountable for the fire and killing innocent patients. Where is my father's body?” asked a young man as he searched among charred remains wrapped in blankets in the hospital yard.

Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned corruption and mismanagement in the nation’s institutions that he said led to the disaster.

"The catastrophe of Al Hussein Hospital, and before that at the Ibn Al Khatib Hospital in Baghdad, are the product of persistent corruption and mismanagement that undervalued the lives of Iraqis and prevented reforms to [improve] performance of institutions,” he said.

“A strict review of the performance of institutions and the protection of citizens is necessary.”

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi tweeted that the blaze was “clear proof of the failure to protect Iraqi lives". He said it was "time to put an end to this catastrophic failure".

The UN Special Envoy to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, sent her condolences to the families of the victims.

“More must be done to ensure all Iraqis can receive care in a safe environment,” she wrote on Twitter.