14 dead as deadly fire breaks out at a Covid hospital

A deadly fire at a makeshift hospital in North Macedonia killed 14 people. Footage circulating on social media shows that a building has emerged in flames. The footage shows a thick cloud with black smoke billowing into the air near the main road at Tetovo.

Firefighters reached the place in less than one hour. The fire broke out at 21:00 local time on Wednesday. Public prosecutors have said that 14 deaths have taken place due to the deadly fire.

They are investigating whether there are more victims or not. Health Minister Venko Filipce has expressed his grief over this incident. He described the fire as a “terrible accident.”

Deputy fire chief of Tetovo Saso Trajcevski said that the fire had spread rapidly inside the building. The main reason behind it is an explosion of oxygen cylinders. The footage shows flames bursting through the windows in a portable building. A large amount of plastic has made the fire intense. It was not clear how many people were present there at that time.

PM Zoran Zaev said that this is a tragic incident that has killed so many people. This temporary facility started working last year to care for people who are seriously ill from covid.

In most of the hospitals where fire emerged during the pandemic, oxygen cylinders have played a major role. Ten people died in a fire incident at Gaziantep last year. A similar fire also broke out in Piatra Neamț în România.

North Macedonia had a population of 2 million. The covid vaccination rate is below 30%. There is a recent surge in death in the country due to covid. Tetovo is one of the majorly affected areas.

Mayor Teuta Arifi spoke while expressing her grief over the victims. North Macedonia reported more than the number of 180000 covid cases and 6153 deaths in the country.

Credits: BBC