Baghdad hospital fire death toll rises to around 130 people: commission

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The death toll of a massive fire that ripped through Baghdad’s Ibn al-Khatib Hospital Saturday night has risen to around 130, according to Iraq’s human rights commission.

A report released following a fact-finding mission by the government-funded Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights reports a higher number of casualties than the government’s previous toll, on Sunday, of 82 deaths. It notes that many of the bodies have yet to be identified due to being burned beyond recognition.  

The commission has found that the fire started after an oxygen cylinder exploded in a patient wing crowded with visitors. They say the number of people allowed in the space is evidence of the hospital’s failure to abide by the instructions of the ministry of health.

Fire extinguishing equipment present in the hospital was not used due to people not being aware of where it was stored, it says, also noting that many patients were rescued by companions and family members, rather than civil defense teams.

“The civil defense team arrived at the scene of the fire within an hour,” the statement reads, while the spokesman for the ministry of the interior, Major General Khaled al-Muhanna, claimed on Sunday that the team had arrived within 3 minutes. 

The report has also found that the hospital had an insufficient number of specialized, trained night staff to monitor emergency cases in the hospital and that civil defense personnel did not fulfill their duties.

"All of the above indicates a clear deficiency in the level of providing health services to citizens and a flagrant violation of human rights, especially the right of healthcare, by government agencies represented by the Ministry of Health and the hospital administration," the statement reads.

Iraqi parliament’s health committee published a report on the incident on Monday noting “negligence and the lack of a central fire extinguishing system in the hospital.” The report also noted that some visitors used electrical devices to cook food inside the recovery halls. 

Iraq’s top court announced Sunday evening that an arrest warrant has been issued for the director and other employees of Ibn al-Khatib Hospital. 

Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi Government to “bring justice to the victims, hold those responsible accountable and take steps to ensure this never happens again. A hospital must be a safe space for people battling for their lives.” 

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