TRAGIC

A fire tore through the maternity ward of one of Baghdad's largest hospitalsyesterday, killing at least 12 premature babies, medical and security officials said.

Only seven babies could be saved and were taken to another ward in the Iraqi capital. A health ministry spokesman said the blaze at the Yarmuk hospital in west Baghdad was started by an electrical fault just after midnight.

The grief of the bereaved parents and relatives was compounded by the fact that the babies' young age and the effects of the fire made it very difficult to identify the bodies.

Umm Ahmed came to Yarmuk on Tuesday when a close relative of hers gave birth. The baby died in the inferno and the mother suffered burns, she said.

"I am looking for our child, they told me 'go find him in the fridge'," said the middle-aged woman.

"I just want our child, somebody give him to me," she cried.