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11 people killed after fire sweeps through Russian retirement home
At least 11 people have died after a fire broke out at a retirement home in Russia's southern Ural Mountains on Tuesday, 15 December 2020. Three others were hospitalised with injuries after the blaze broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the village of Ishbuldino in the Bashkiria region. Authorities say that 15 people were in the one-storey building at the time, which was being run by a non-profit organisation. The head of the facility, a 43-year-old woman, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by negligence, Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement. The Committee said that the eleven victims of the fire were all guests aged between 57 and 80, including four women and seven men. According to local media reports, all of the victims were bed-ridden. All were also residents of the Abzelilovsky, Beloretsky or Chelyabinsk districts of Russia. "Currently, investigative actions are being carried out with the suspect," the Investigative Committee stated. Authorities are conducting searches at the suspect's home, as well as in local government offices and regulatory authorities, to find information on the activities of the nursing home and whether it met health and safety requirements. A forensic examination is also taking place to establish what caused the blaze. The regional branch of the emergencies ministry stated that the facility had fire detectors but no fire extinguishers. Rady Khabirov, the head of Bashkortostan, ordered that safety inspections be carried out at similar facilities across the region. Russian news agency Interfax quoted the district authorities as saying that one of the survivors was a staff member, while three others were residents whom she managed to lead out of the facility.
Accidental fires and blasts in residential buildings are relatively common in Russia as a result of ageing infrastructure and non-compliance with safety standards. Source: EuroNews, Jakarta Post |
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