Nursing home blaze kills 17 in Ukraine

A fire swept through a private home for the elderly in a Ukrainian village shortly before dawn yesterday, killing 17 people and injuring five others, an emergency official said.

The head of the emergency services, Mykola Chechetkin, said 35 people were in the house when the fire broke out before 4am and 17 of them were killed.

It was unclear whether any staff members were among the dead.