At least 11 people have died in a fire at a nursing home in the Bosnian city of Tuzla, authorities said Wednesday.
Local media reported that the facility was home to bed-ridden patients suffering from severe dementia and cancer.
Dozens of residents, some emergency workers, were injured
At least 30 people were injured after the fire broke out at the facility located in the downtown part of the city, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Zaragoza, according to police.
It is reported that emergency workers are also among the injured.
“Among those hospitalized, four residents are on mechanical ventilation. The injured also include five firefighters and three police officers,” the publication Balkan Insight quoted Tuzla canton’s interior ministry spokesperson Adnana Sprik as saying.
what we know so far
The fire broke out around 8:45 pm (1945 GMT) on the seventh floor of the building in downtown Tuzla, taking firefighters an hour to bring the blaze under control.
“I went to bed when I heard a cracking sound. I don’t know if it was the windows in my room breaking or not,” local resident Ruja Kajic told national broadcaster BHRT, Reuters news agency quoted local resident Ruja Kajic as telling national broadcaster BHRT.
“I live on the third floor… I looked out the window and saw burning material falling from above. I ran out into the hallway. On the upper floor, there are people lying on beds,” she said.
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Bosnian news portal klix.ba reported that residents and relatives had been criticizing conditions at the nursing home for years.
Some of the complaints mentioned included issues such as humidity, quality of food and treatment by staff.
Edited by: Rana Taha