12 babies killed in Baghdad hospital fire

At least 12 newborn babies have been killed in a fire that broke out at the maternity unit of a hospital in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, said authorities on Wednesday.

Firefighters spent three hours putting the fire out, which had completely burnt down the unit.

Two charred incubators and some used fire extinguishers were seen scattered on the ground outside the unit, which has been cordoned off by police. A distressed father whose newborn child was killed in the fire was seen crying in hospital office.

Officials from Iraq’s healthcare ministry said that 21 babies and some pregnant women were in the unit when the fire broke out.

” There were 21 children (that were trapped). The doctors were able to save nine of them. The mothers were all safe, they all have been out from the ward, but only the babies were lost, 12 babies,” said Ahmed Saadi, inspector general of the Ministry of Health of Iraq.

Saadi said that authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, and they have not ruled out the possibility of terrorist attack.

“We give high probability that it could be a terrorist action, because in the camera it shows all fire was (burning) in three minutes, all the three minutes, this is unreasonable,” said Saadi.

The hospital has submitted its surveillance footage of the accident to the Interior Ministry of Iraq to help find out what the cause of the fatal fire was.