Emergency personnel evacuating a patient during a fire that broke out at an infectious diseases hospital in the city of Zaporizhzhya. — AFP photo
KIEV: Four people died in Ukraine after a blaze tore through the intensive care unit of an infectious diseases hospital that was treating coronavirus patients, police said Thursday.
It was the latest in a spate of deadly fires in Ukraine, which are not uncommon in the ex-Soviet republic due to poor compliance with safety regulations and ageing infrastructure.
The fire broke out just before midnight on Wednesday on the ground floor of the five-storey building in the southwestern city of Zaporizhzhya.
“The fire killed four people, including a medical worker,” regional police said in a statement.
Three of the victims had been diagnosed with coronavirus and were on ventilators, according to the regional governor quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Two more patients suffered burns and poisoning from inhaling fumes, while eight were rescued unharmed.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known but police said they have launched an investigation into a violation of safety measures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and sent Health Minister Maksym Stepanov to the scene, the presidency said in a statement. — AFP
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