Iraq hospital fire: Protests as Covid ward blaze kills more than 60 | The Daily Update

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Iraq hospital fire: Protests as Covid ward blaze kills more than 60

More than 60 people have died after a fire in a coronavirus isolation ward at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriya.

Much of Iraq's health care system is in poor condition after years of conflict and angry relatives of the victims have been protesting outside the facility.

The cause of the fire at the al-Hussein hospital is unclear, but reports said it began after an oxygen tank exploded.

Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the arrest of the head of the hospital.

State media put the death toll at 64, with nearly 70 others injured.

The speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohammed al-Halbousi, tweeted that the blaze was "clear proof of the failure to protect Iraqi lives, and it is time to put an end to this catastrophic failure".

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