10 dead in nursing home fire – DW – 07.07.2024

The Uruguayan Interior Ministry reported on Sunday that 10 elderly people were killed when a fire broke out in their six-room nursing home in the town of Treinta y Tres, about 290 kilometers northeast of the capital Montevideo.

The cause of the fire, which is said to have broken out in the living room of the facility, is currently unknown.

A 20-year-old employee is said to have escaped via the building’s garage.

The Interior Ministry and the emergency services said that seven residents died at the scene of the accident and three others died on the way to a nearby hospital.

According to authorities, all died from smoke inhalation.

js/rm (AFP, dpa)