24 lives lost in Jazan hospital fire; 84 injured being treated

RIYADH: A fire early Thursday morning at Jazan General Hospital killed 24 people and injured 119, the Ministry of Health has announced.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received letters of condolences from Kuwait Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi expressing grief over the accident.
Health Ministry spokesman Faisal Al-Zahrani said that 84 people were hospitalized, including eight patients from the hospital’s intensive care unit. The others were treated and discharged.
Al-Zahrani said that the entire hospital had been evacuated, including the children in the incubators and intensive care unit on the lower floors. However, one child died from inhaling smoke, he said.
Injured patients were rushed to the nearest hospitals including King Fahd, Prince Mohammed bin Nasser, Al-Amis and Al-Hayat, he said.
Deputy Minister of Health for Therapeutic Services Hamad Al-Dhuwelia, who met with injured patients and visited the scene of the fire, said the ministry was doing its best to provide treatment for those needing it.
Health Minister Khalid Al-Falih is reportedly closely monitoring the situation and urged officials to provide quality care for those affected. He has sent his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.
The ministry had sent several doctors and specialists to the area to provide treatment for those who survived. Maj. Yahya Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Jazan, said 21 rescue fire brigades and ambulances were rushed to the hospital.
A committee of inquiry has been set up on the orders of Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Nasser to determine the cause of the tragedy.