Dozens feared dead in psychiatric hospital fire in Russia

Emergency response team working on the fire scene at a mental hospital in the village of Ramensky. There were reportedly 41 people in the hospital but three survived.(RIA Novosti / Andrey Stenin)

 (RT) Up to 37 people are believed to have died after a fire engulfed a psychiatric hospital in Russia’s Novgorod Region. The firemen have managed to localize the fire that spread over 670 square meters of the building.

“According to refined data, there were about 60 people inside. More than 20 were evacuated by the facility’s administration. The fate of 37 remains unknown. But that does not mean that they are dead,” the head of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry Oleg Voronov told RIA Novosti. It is possible they got out themselves, he added.

According to preliminary information 59 people were inside the building when the blaze broke out at 22:52 GMT on Thursday. Twenty two people were evacuated with no injuries while over a dozen managed to get out themselves.

“Everything has collapsed inside as a result of the fire,” local police source told RIA. “The people believed to be inside are now most likely dead.”