On Saturday a fire broke out in an intensive care unit COVID-19 patients in southern Turkey after an oxygen cylinder exploded, killing nine people, the health minister said.
The state-run news agency Anadolu said the fire occurred in the private Sanko University Hospital in Gaziantep, 850 kilometers southeast of Istanbul. It quoted a hospital statement identifying victims between 56 and 85. The fire was quickly brought under control.
The statement said 14 patients undergoing intensive care treatment were transferred to other hospitals. An investigation is underway.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that nine people died in the fire, raising the previous estimate of eight dead by the hospital and Gaziantep governor’s office. There was no direct explanation for the discrepancy.
The governor’s office said there were 19 patients in the unit when a “high-pressure oxygen device” exploded at 4:45 AM (0145GMT). Other than the fatalities, no others were injured in the fire, he said.
Intensive care units across Turkey currently have a 74% occupancy rate due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to government figures, although medical associations say this figure is higher and their hospitals are inundated with COVID-19 patients.
On Friday evening, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported 26,410 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 1.98 million since March. The figure includes asymptomatic cases, which Ankara did not report in the four months to the end of November, sparking criticism that the government was trying to hide the extent of the outbreak in the country.
Turkey hit a record high per day of 246 COVID-19-related deaths reported Friday for a total reported coronavirus death toll of 17,610.