<p class="title">Eight babies were killed when a fire ripped through a maternity hospital in eastern Algeria before dawn on Tuesday, emergency services said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We managed to rescue 11 babies, 107 women and 28 staff" after the 3:50 am (0250 GMT) fire in the hospital in Oued Souf, 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Algiers, spokesman Captain Nassim Bernaoui told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Unfortunately we regret the deaths of eight babies, some from burns and others from smoke inhalation."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dozens of fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, Bernaoui said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui ordered an inquiry and sent Health Minister Mohamed Miraoui to the scene of the fire.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was the second blaze to hit the maternity hospital in Oued Souf in 18 months. A fire in May last year caused significant damage but no casualties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The hospital is one of five in the town, including a specialist eye hospital staffed by Cuban doctors.</p>
<p class="title">Eight babies were killed when a fire ripped through a maternity hospital in eastern Algeria before dawn on Tuesday, emergency services said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We managed to rescue 11 babies, 107 women and 28 staff" after the 3:50 am (0250 GMT) fire in the hospital in Oued Souf, 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Algiers, spokesman Captain Nassim Bernaoui told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Unfortunately we regret the deaths of eight babies, some from burns and others from smoke inhalation."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dozens of fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, Bernaoui said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui ordered an inquiry and sent Health Minister Mohamed Miraoui to the scene of the fire.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was the second blaze to hit the maternity hospital in Oued Souf in 18 months. A fire in May last year caused significant damage but no casualties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The hospital is one of five in the town, including a specialist eye hospital staffed by Cuban doctors.</p>