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CatastropheRussian Federation

Russia: Nursing home fire leaves nearly two dozen dead

December 24, 2022

The overnight fire at a nursing home in the Siberian city of Kemerovo also left two people hospitalized with burns. The blaze has been brought under control by authorities.

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This handout video grab taken and released by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry on December 24, 2022 shows Russia emergency services battling a fire in a private nursing home in the Siberian city of Kemerovo
The cause of the blaze is still unclearImage: AFP

Russian officials said Saturday that 22 people had died in a fire at a nursing home in the Siberian city of Kemerovo.

The blaze broke out overnight, according to civil defense officials, while two people have been taken to the hospital with burns.

What do we know so far?

The fire has now been brought under control as more than 80 people and 28 vehicles were deployed in the response.

Russia's investigative committee said it had opened a probe into whether negligence caused the tragic event. 

The two-story wooden building where the fire erupted lies in the industrial city of Kemerovo, some 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) east of Moscow.

Russian firemen attempt to extinguish care home fire in Kemerovo
Russian authorities have opened an investigation into the blaze after it was brought under control Image: The Kemerovo Region Branch of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry/TASS/dpa/picture alliance

No cause has yet been determined by the authorities. News reports said the building was heated by stoves.

Fire safety official turned away earlier in December

The building's owner and a pastor who allegedly ran the facility have been questioned by authorities, state news agency TASS reported. The report stated that the facility did not have the required permits.

A fire safety official had planned to inspect the facility on December 7 but was turned away, the Civil Defense Ministry confirmed.

jsi/wd (AP, dpa, AFP)