[Peace-discuss] Iraq wounded too high to count

[patton paul]

Red Cross: Iraq Wounded Too High to Count

GENEVA (AP) - The number of casualties in Baghdad is so high that
hospitals have stopped counting the number of people treated, the
International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday.

``No one is able to keep accurate statistics of the admitted and
transferred war wounded any longer as one emergency arrival follows the
other in the hospitals of Baghdad,'' the ICRC said in a statement.

``Ambulances are picking up the wounded and running them to the triage
areas and on to hospitals,'' it said. ``Some of the wounded try to reach
the nearest hospitals by foot.''

The neutral Swiss-run organization - the main aid agency left in Iraq -
gave no estimates on the number of deaths and did not confirm U.S. Central
Command estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 Iraqi fighters were killed
in Saturday's foray into Baghdad by American armored vehicles.

``All of the hospitals are under pressure and the medical staff is working
without respite,'' said the ICRC statement. ``Despite the intense and
desperate activity, hospital staff is still managing the situation.''

But it said that hospitals urgently needed more water supplies. Given the
general power outage in Baghdad, most hospitals and water installations
are now being powered by backup generators. It said it was getting many
requests for service kits, spare parts and repairs for water plants.

The ICRC said that Red Cross delegates who reached the southern city of
Basra reported that the medical situation was generally under control and
that there were no signs of epidemics. But it said it feared the worst for
other hospitals outside Baghdad and Basra.