9 individuals have died after an oxygen cylinder exploded at an intensive care unit treating Covid-19 sufferers in Turkey, the well being minister mentioned.
The state-run Anadolu information company mentioned the fireplace befell on the non-public Sanko College hospital in Gaziantep, 530 miles (850 km) south-east of Istanbul. It cited a hospital assertion figuring out the victims as being between 56 and 85. The hearth was rapidly introduced beneath management.
The assertion mentioned 14 intensive-care sufferers had been transferred to different hospitals. An investigation is beneath method.
The well being minister, Fahrettin Koca, tweeted that 9 individuals had been killed within the fireplace, elevating the sooner estimate of eight lifeless by the hospital and the Gaziantep governor’s workplace. There was no clarification for the discrepancy.
The governor’s workplace mentioned 19 sufferers had been within the unit when a high-pressure oxygen machine exploded at 4.45am (1.45GMT). Aside from the fatalities, no others had been injured within the fireplace, it mentioned.
Intensive care models throughout Turkey at the moment have 74% mattress occupancy price because of the coronavirus outbreak, in keeping with authorities figures, though medical associations say the determine is increased and that their hospitals are overrun with Covid-19 sufferers.
Turkey’s well being ministry reported 26,410 new coronavirus circumstances on Friday, bringing the nation’s whole since March to 1.98 million. The determine contains asymptomatic circumstances, which Ankara didn’t report within the 4 months as much as late November, prompting criticism that the federal government was attempting to cover the extent of the nation’s outbreak.
Turkey additionally reported a file every day excessive of 246 Covid-19 associated deaths on Friday, taking its whole to 17,610.
