At least 39 people were killed in a fire that swept through a coronavirus ward in southern Iraq on Monday evening, The Associated Press reported, citing Iraqi state TV.
The report said all those who died suffered severe burns during the fire at the al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the southern city of Nasiryah.
The new ward was opened just three months ago and contained 70 beds, according to two hospital officials.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known but some reports suggested it may have been caused by an explosion of an oxygen balloon.