More than 60 people have died in Iraq after a fire broke out in a coronavirus hospital ward.
The blast at Al-Huseein Hospital in the southern city of Nasiriya was brought under control late Monday.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but initial reports suggest it started after an oxygen cylinder exploded.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has ordered the arrest of the hospital’s director.
Relatives of the patients have protested outside the building. Reuters news agency reported clashes with police and that two police cars were engulfed in flames.
The new department had space for 70 beds and was built just three months ago, health officials told the Associated Press news agency.
In April, the explosion of an oxygen cylinder also resulted in fire, leaving 82 people dead in Baghdad.
Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi has resigned following the fire. Authorities in Iraq have registered 1.4 million people infected with the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Of these, over 17,000 patients have died./ Taken from REL
