Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council announced Sunday evening that a Baghdad court has decided to arrest the director of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, Salman al-Shammari, and a number of other staff members in relation to the fire that ripped through the hospital caring for coronavirus patients. According to the body, the Rusafa Investigation Court in Baghdad has decided to detain the hospital director until an investigation into the incident has been concluded.
Eighty-two people were killed and another 110 were injured in the incident, the Interior Ministry announced Sunday afternoon.
The spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, Major General Khaled al-Muhanna, said that the fire was an accident and not intentionally set, but caused due to negligence or an electrical issue.
"Civil defense reports indicate that the fire happened very quickly and spread all over the hospital within 3 minutes," Mahana told state media.
The Council of Ministers headed by Mustafa al- Kadhimi held an extraordinary session, in which it decided to conduct an investigation over the next five days. Kadhimi also suspended three senior officials, including the health minister.
The Council decided to grant an amount of 10 million dinars to victims’ families, and to prepare a draft law that considers the victims as “martyrs”. It also directed for the critically injured to be sent abroad for treatment if needed.
Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, called for dismissal of the minister of health if proven negligent, distancing himself from the figure who the Sadrist movement had previously vocally supported. In a tweet, Sadr criticized Kadhimi for appointing an “independent” figure to the post, saying that a member of the "largest bloc" in parliament should have been chosen for the position, referring to his own bloc.
"I fear that this painful incident will be part of successive incidents to achieve goals of the saboteurs who threaten the security of Iraq, especially with the approaching elections." Sadr said.
The White House offered its condolences and help after the incident, in an official statement by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“We are in touch with Iraqi officials and have offered assistance. Our strategic partnership with Iraq is first and foremost a partnership between our two peoples,” Sullivan stated.
Iraqi President Barham Salih also called for an immediate investigation and punishment of those who were negligent. The head of parliament has called for the legislature to convene to discuss the tragedy.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani offered his condolences and said the Region is ready to help.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the European Union’s ambassador to Iraq Martin Huth shared messages of sympathy.
The head of the United Nations mission in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed her "shock and pain at the enormity of the tragic incident" and called for "stronger protection measures to ensure that such a disaster cannot reoccur."
Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan offered their condolences to Iraq regarding the incident.
