11 babies dead in Senegal hospital fire, leaving nation in mourning

WARNING: Video contains disturbing content, viewer discretion is advised.

A hospital fire in Tivaouane, Senegal on Wednesday was caused by a short circuit that spread in less than five minutes, leaving 11 newborn babies dead in its wake.

Mayor of Tivaouane, Diop Sy said two nurses who escaped had not been able to save the babies in their incubators, all of whom died.

With the government facing mounting criticism over the latest in a series of deadly hospital incidents, President Macky Sall sacked his health minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr.

Sall also declared three days of national mourning. His office said he would cut short his trip to an African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea to return to Senegal on Friday.

Public health experts have repeatedly warned that many underfunded and understaffed hospitals on the continent have been stretched beyond their capacities by the COVID pandemic, leaving them unable to maintain acceptable safety standards.

The tragedy in Tivaouane comes after several other incidents at Senegalese hospitals angered the nation. This includes a woman who died in labour along with her unborn baby after hospital staff refused to perform a Caesarean section and a hospital fire in the northern town of Linguere last year that killed four newborn babies, causing a national outcry.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/8873125/senegal-hospital-fire-11-babies-dead/

Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc
Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ
Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt
Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB
#GlobalNews