Pakistan condoles with Iraq after 92 die in fire in COVID-19 ward

People inspect the damage after a fire broke out at al-Hussain coronavirus hospital in Nassiriya, Iraq, on July 13, 2021. (REUTERS)

• More than 100 people were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya
• Pakistan stands with brotherly nation Iraq in “hour of grief,” foreign office says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condoled with Iraq after 92 people were killed in a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq earlier this week.
More than 100 people were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya, Iraqi officials said.
“The government and people of Pakistan are saddened over the tragic incident of fire that erupted in a hospital in Nasiriya, Iraq,” the Pakistani foreign office said. “We extend sincere condolences to the government and fraternal people of Iraq on the loss of precious lives and injuries caused to many. Pakistan stands with brotherly Iraq in this hour of grief.”
An investigation showed the fire began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that then exploded, police and civil defense authorities said.
It was Iraq’s second such tragedy in three months, and the country’s president on Tuesday blamed corruption for both. A statement from the prime minister’s office called for national mourning.