Four patients die in hospital blaze

A fire broke out at a hospital in southern Moscow early today, killing at least four patients and forcing the evacuation of dozens of other patients, an emergency official said

The blaze broke out around 5am (2am Irish time) in the main campus of the Seventh Clinical Hospital, said Veronika Smolskaya, a spokeswoman for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.

She said four patients were killed in the blaze, and 97 patients had to be evacuated to other buildings in the complex.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the deaths were caused by fire or smoke inhalation, Smolskaya said.

She said firefighters extinguished the blaze about 30 minutes later.

Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for the city prosecutors office, said an electrical short circuit or negligent handling of electrical equipment may have sparked the blaze.