At least 20 people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a nursing home in the Russian city of Kemerovo, in the region of the same name, in the south-central part of the country.
At around 10.20 p.m. (local time), emergency services received a call alerting them to a fire in an undeclared two-story private residence for the elderly. On the arrival of firefighters, the roof – covering an area of 180 square meters – was engulfed in flames, TASS news agency has been informed.
After extinguishing the fire, firefighters have counted at least 20 people dead, while the search continues for seven others whose whereabouts are still unknown. Also, two victims have been hospitalized with burns in serious condition, while four more have already been discharged after receiving medical attention.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has reported that 28 firefighting teams, totaling 80 people, have been involved in the firefighting efforts. All of them continue to remove debris at temperatures of 20 degrees below zero, according to the agency.
According to the emergency services, the second floor of the nursing home, which was not registered, was completely destroyed. At the time of the fire, 20 people were on that floor.
The governor of Kemerovo, Sergey Tsivilev, said that all homes of this type, mainly private ones, would be inspected after the fire.
«We will inspect all institutions of this type, mainly private ones. Inspections will be completed within a week,» he has written on his Telegram channel.
This is not the first fire in nursing home in Kemerovo. On January 8, 2022, a fire broke out on the second floor of a nursing home where 48 people were evacuated and four died.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
