Rescue operations end at Russian psychiatric hospital
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 September 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Rescue operations end at Russian psychiatric hospital, 14 September 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/525e3f7914.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 14, 2013
Russian emergency workers carry the burned body of a victim from the debris of a psychiatric hospital destroyed by fire.
Rescue workers have finished operations at a psychiatric hospital in Russia's northwestern Novgorod region, where 37 people were reported killed by fire.
Oleg Voronov, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry, told journalists on September 14 that rescuers have pulled out 35 bodies from the rubble in the village of Luka, where the blaze broke out before dawn on September 13. He said that the remains will be tested by forensic experts.
Around 60 people were reported to in the building, including severely incapacitated patients. More than 20 patients were evacuated.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. A federal criminal probe into suspected negligence has been opened.
It was the second deadly fire at a Russian psychiatric hospital this year. In April, a fire at a facility outside Moscow killed 38 people.
Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
