At least two people were killed and at least one injured in a fire that broke out in the roof of a hospital in the northern German city of Ludwigslust early Thursday, officials and police said.
Officials said one person was injured by the smoke, while they initially said dozens were injured as a result of the fire.
According to Germany’s DPA news agency, regional authorities said both patients who died were at the facility.
What do we know about the Ludwigslust fire?
The cause of the fire in the hospital is not clear.
According to broadcaster NDR, the fire started in a patient room and spread to the roof of the radiology department.
It said that the fire is now under control.
A spokesman for the regional authorities said the fire broke out in a room in the vascular surgery department.
One patient died in that room and another in the room next to it, he said.
Police said both victims were men, one of whom was 85 years old, while the other has not been identified yet.
Hospital evacuated on a large scale
Many patients and staff were evacuated from the facility, which has 160 beds, according to the hospital’s website.
Police said traffic near the facility was significantly disrupted.
Officials said initial reports of dozens of injuries were based only on the number of people medically examined at the scene, most of whom were unharmed.
Manuela Schwesig, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, expressed grief and expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
“My sorrow and my sympathies are with the loved ones of the victims,” he said at a news conference.
Schwesig also thanked emergency services and said they had helped prevent a worse disaster.
State Parliament kept silence for the victims
Members of the state Parliament stood silent for a few moments during the morning session as a mark of respect to the victims of the fire.
This hospital is the only hospital in the city.
Ludwigslust is located in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, 40 km (25 mi) south of the state capital Schwerin.
Edited by: Carl Sexton
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