RIYADH: An overnight fire at a hospital in southern Saudi Arabia has killed at least 25 people and injured more than 100 others, officials said.

The blaze broke out in the intensive care unit and the maternity department of the Jazan General Hospital in the kingdom’s south, the civil defence agency said on Twitter.

It said in an update later that the fire had been extinguished and an investigation was under way into the cause.

Twenty-one civil defence teams had assisted in putting out the blaze, it added.

Alriyadh daily quoted a civil defence spokesman as saying that the agency was alerted of the fire at 2:00 am (2300 GMT Wednesday).

That fire was ignited by an electric short circuit in the underground car park, according to the authorities.

Thursday’s fire sparked a wave of criticism among social media users who complained that Jizan province, especially its hospitals, suffers from inadequate infrastructure.

“Maybe this catastrophe could put the spotlight on the disastrous situation of hospitals in Jazan… Even though we have little hope” for this, wrote a twitter user.

Others called for health minister Khalid al-Falih to be sacked.