Iraqi Hatim Karim found no solace except in the clothes of his son, who died alongside his mother and grandmother in a fire that claimed dozens of lives at a hospital in Nasiriyah this week, as the grieving father has yet to receive his son's body for burial. Karim, 40, wept as he pulled out his phone to show a picture of his 17-year-old son, whose body remains among the unidentified corpses. "Look at him... what sin did he commit to be burned alive?" Karim buried his wife on Wednesday in Najaf before returning to his hometown of Shatra, where he received condolences in a Shia mosque.
Karim, a police officer, stated, "The government bears full responsibility for the death of my wife and son. What is my sin to lose my son and not be able to bury him?" He added, "Last night, I gathered my son's clothes and slept with them. I want my son back."
Families of the victims and residents generally blame the authorities for the fire that broke out in the COVID-19 treatment hospital. An initial police report reviewed by Reuters indicated that the fire was caused by an oxygen cylinder explosion. The report noted that the hospital building had lightweight partitions separating the wards, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, and that the hospital lacked sufficient emergency exits, leading to a higher number of casualties.
A health ministry statement on Wednesday reported that the death toll from the fire stands at 60, including 21 unidentified bodies. The statement did not explain why this number was lower than the 92 fatalities reported by the official news agency on Tuesday. Reuters was unable to reach the ministry spokesperson for comment on the discrepancy.
This marks the second tragedy of its kind in Iraq in three months. The Iraqi president on Tuesday blamed corruption for both incidents. In April, a similar explosion at a COVID-19 treatment hospital in Baghdad resulted in at least 82 deaths.
Many Iraqis express outrage at a ruling establishment that allows corruption to flourish while millions live in poverty despite the country's vast oil wealth. The Prime Minister's office stated on Tuesday that the results of the government's investigation would be announced within a week.
**Stampede and Closed Doors**
More than 20 bodies await identification at the morgue, where young Mustafa Khalil, 28, sat with his back against the wall, hoping for news about his mother. Khalil said, "I want my mother... even if just one bone remains. I want her."
Khalil, who was visiting his mother when the fire broke out, described chaotic scenes and a stampede as the fire spread, with people attempting to flee while the doors were locked. "When the flames erupted, they told us to stay with our patients. They said we would die if we went out," he added. Khalil continued, "We stayed near the patients helplessly... soon flames and smoke surrounded me and I couldn't breathe."
Nateq Hashim, 35, lost his sister, mother, and 14-year-old niece in the fire. He explained that he arrived at the hospital about 15 minutes after the fire broke out and that civil defense and ambulance vehicles did not arrive for more than an hour, while tuk-tuk vehicles were evacuating patients and the injured. Hashim stated, "I buried two family members, my mother and sister, and my niece's body is still missing. I hold the government fully responsible - the Prime Minister, the Health Minister, and the Interior Minister are accountable."
