Iraq hospital fire death toll hits 92; 100 others injured

People take images of flames as a massive fire engulfs the Coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, late on Monday. Pics/AFP

The death toll from a fire that swept through a hospital Coronavirus ward in Iraq has climbed to at least 92, the Iraqi state news agency reported on Tuesday. The announcement came as anguished family members buried their loved ones and lashed out at the government over the tragedy.

The blaze that erupted on Monday in the city of Nasiriyah was the second catastrophic fire in less than three months to kill hospitalised Covid-19 patients in Iraq, where the health care system has been crippled by decades of war and sanctions. Two health officials said more than 100 people were also injured in the fire that torched the Coronavirus ward of al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the city of Nasiriyah on Monday.

Anguished relatives were still looking for traces of their loved ones. Many cried openly, their tears tinged with anger, blaming both the provincial government of Dhi Qar, where Nasiriyah is located, and the federal government in Baghdad for years of mismanagement and neglect.

An aerial picture shows people looking around at the ravaged Coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital on Tuesday

"The whole state system has collapsed, and who paid the price? The people inside here. These people have paid the price," said Haidar al-Askari, who was at the scene of the blaze. Overnight, firefighters and rescuers - many with just flashlights and using blankets to extinguish small fires still smoldering in places - had frantically worked searching through the ward in the darkness. As dawn broke, bodies covered with sheets were laid on the ground outside the hospital.

S Korea reports 252 breakthrough cases
South Korea has reported 252 "breakthrough" Covid-19 cases, which refer to people who were infected with virus after being fully vaccinated, health authorities said on Tuesday. The number of the fully vaccinated people who were infected with Covid-19 stood at 252 as of July 8, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Also read: Oxygen cylinder explosion kills 82 COVID patients in Iraq hospital

UK to be out of most Covid curbs soon
The UK government has confirmed that most Covid-19 restrictions in England will end next week despite surging cases. Most restrictions are set to end on July 19 as part of the final step or Step Four of England's roadmap out of the lockdown, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously announced, reports Xinhua news agency. But this still needs to be confirmed following a review of the latest data by the government.

NZ dy PM calls for
immigration reset
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson on Tuesday called for "an immigration reset", while outlining a road ahead for the post-Covid economy. Robertson, also the finance minister, said parts of the business sector have become too reliant on continued access to low skilled labours, and there have been fewer incentives to increase productivity through investment in capital and new technologies, reports Xinhua news agency. It is the "right time for an immigration reset", he said in his speech to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle.

1,72,503
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

18,74,53,777
Total no. of cases worldwide

40,43,684
Total no. of deaths worldwide

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