A fire at a hospital in the Iraqi capital has killed 12 babies, officials have said.

The blaze started late on Tuesday night inside the maternity wing of the Yarmouk hospital, situated in western Baghdad.

Image: Burnt incubators stand outside Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad

Seven other children and 29 women were rescued from the blaze. One doctor said some of the babies killed were born prematurely.

Three other newborns survived and were treated for smoke inhalation.

The blaze was extinguished by firefighters and those brought out to safety transferred to other hospitals.


Ahmed al Roudaini, a spokesman for the country's health ministry, said initial findings of an investigation into the cause of the fire suggested an electrical short circuit was to blame.

One grief-stricken father, Hussein Omar, a 30-year-old construction worker, said his week-old twins were killed in the fire.

"I want my baby boy and girl back. The government must give them back to me," he said, in tears.

Image: Crowds gather outside the hospital

Shaima Hassan, who conceived after years, trembled in shock as she mourned the loss of her two-day-old son.

"I waited for ages to have this baby, and when I finally had him it took only a second to lose him," said the 36-year-old.

She and her husband ran towards the room where several newborns were being cared for after they heard people screaming "fire", but were met with a wall of thick smoke.

"Then someone broke a window and threw me out," she added.

Eshrak Ahmed Jaasar said she went to the hospital to visit her four-day-old nephew but could not find him.

"I came early this morning to see my nephew and his mother, but they told me about the fire," she told the Associated Press.

"My nephew is still missing and his mother was moved to another hospital ward."

Image: Security forces stand guard at an entrance to the hospital

She also she was still in shock but felt very bitter.

"It's a corrupt government that doesn't care about its citizens and lets this happen," she said.

Electrical fires are common in Baghdad - and elsewhere across the country - because of poor maintenance and wiring.

A lack of fire escapes in buildings also reportedly contributes to the dangers of a blaze.