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Abu Dhabi: Seven COVID-19 patients were killed after a fire broke out in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Alexandria, northern Egypt, Egyptian media reported.

The administration of Al Badrawi Hospital in Alexandria said in a statement that a large fire broke out due to an electrical short circuit in an air-conditioning unit, which resulted in the death of seven coronavirus patients of asphyxia and seven hospital staff were injured.

A source inside the hospital said the deceased were COVID-19 patients and that the firefighting units managed to control it before it extended to other wards of the hospital.

The injured and a number of patients were transferred to a government hospital for treatment.

The Public Prosecution is conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident.