A fire tore through the intensive care unit and the maternity ward of a Saudi hospital before dawn on Thursday, killing at least 24 people and injuring 123, officials said.
The fire broke out at the general hospital in the southwestern port city of Jazan, the capital of the Jizan region, one of Saudi Arabia's poorest areas.
The civil defense agency said 25 people died but a later statement by Health Minister Khalid al-Falih put the death toll at 24. Two of the dead were security guards and one was a child, officials said.