Baghdad hospital fire: 11 prematurely born babies killed after blaze rips through maternity ward

At least eleven prematurely born babies were killed in a fire that broke out early this morning at a maternity hospital in Baghdad, Iraq’s health ministry said.

Seven other children and 29 women were rescued from the Yarmouk maternity hospital and transferred to another hospital.

The ministry said the fire was probably caused by an electrical fault.

Ahmed al-Roudaini, a spokesperson for Iraq's health ministry, said the blaze broke out in the maternity department late on Tuesday night.

Yarmouk Hospital, located in the capital’s southwest, is the second largest in the city and is regularly used to treat those injured by violence.

It was the latest tragedy there, after it became the target of several car bombs, including one that struck its car park in April last year and killed three people.