BAGHDAD, Iraq

In the aftermath of a deadly fire which took the lives of over 80 COVID-19 patients, Iraq’s health minister and the governor of Baghdad have both been suspended.

At a special Sunday Cabinet session, Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi and Baghdad Governor Muhammad Jaber were suspended and referred for investigations, said a statement by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s media office.

It added that a commission chaired by Interior Minister Othman Al-Ghanimi was set up to investigate the deadly fire at Ibn Al-Khatib hospital and hold those responsible accountable.

The fire at the Ibn al-Khatib hospital in the capital Baghdad late Saturday claimed the lives of 82 and injured 110 others, according to the Interior Ministry.

According to local media, the fire was caused by the explosion of oxygen tanks at the hospital, where coronavirus patients were being treated.

The Iraqi government declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the fire.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar