24 newborn babies die in maternity hospital fire

At least 24 newborn babies have died in a fire that broke out at a Baghdad hospital Wednesday morning, Iraqi health officials reported.

“After a fire broke out at one of the maternity wards at the Yarmouk Hospital in Baghdad, an Oxygen capsule detonated at the ward, as a result the babies got burned and died,” said the Iraqi health ministry in a statement.

According to Rudaw.net, the babies killed were all prematurely born.At least seven other children and 29 women were rescued and transferred to another hospital. The statement added that the fire was immediately brought under control.

A security official revealed the fire “might have started due to electrical failures.”