Fire kills 21 at Russian home for mental patients; 51 saved

Seventy patients and four nurses were in the ward when the fire broke out shortly before midnight (2100 GMT) Saturday at the hospital in the village of Alferovka, located in the southern Voronezh region.

At least nine people have been killed and some 22 injured in a fire at a neurological hospital in Russia’s central Voronezh region. At least 29 of the patients were reportedly confined to their beds or with limited mobility.

“Rescuers are searching for another missing person”, the source said.

Firefighters evacuated 55, with fifteen taken to the hospital with burns, it said.

Seventeen people reportedly remain unaccounted for as authorities continue working at the scene. The cause of the blaze is being investigated. “The other possible problem is careless handling of fire”, a source from emergency services told RIA Novosti.

Two them have been declared dead at the site, while over 20 have been hospitalized after suffering injuries.

A number of fires at state institutions across Russian Federation in recent years have resulted in heavy losses of life. Officials blamed the tragedy on faulty electric wiring and a short circuit.

In 2009, 23 people had died in a fire in an old people’s home in Komi region. The same year, 61 people were killed in a fire at a Russian care home.