Middle East

Fire at Saudi Arabia hospital kills at least 31 people

More than 100 others injured in blaze at medical facility in Jazan province

Damage is seen at Jazan General Hospital following a pre-dawn fire in the port city in Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Saudi Civil Defence/Handout via Reuters.
Damage is seen at Jazan General Hospital following a pre-dawn fire in the port city in Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Saudi Civil Defence/Handout via Reuters.
Thu Dec 24 2015 - 10:41

At least 31 people have been killed and more than 100 others injured in a fire at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Civil Defence spokesman Major Yahya bin Abdullah al-Qahtani said the cause of the blaze in the south-western province of Jazan remains unknown.

It broke out in the early hours of Thursday around the hospital’s intensive care, maternity and neonatal care wards.

A handout picture made available by Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence shows emergency service vehicles at the scene of a fire at the Jazan General Hospital. Photograph: EPA/Saudi Civil Defence.
A handout picture made available by Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence shows emergency service vehicles at the scene of a fire at the Jazan General Hospital. Photograph: EPA/Saudi Civil Defence.

The kingdom has suffered a number of large-scale accidents this year, namely a crane collapse that killed 111 and a stampede during the hajj pilgrimage in September in which at least 2,400 died.

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AP