Retirement home fire kills 11 in Russia

Eleven elderly people with mobility issues died after being trapped in a burning retirement home in the early hours of Tuesday in the Russian region of Bashkortostan in the Urals mountains, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 3 a.m. (2200 GMT Monday) in the village of Ishbuldino, the emergencies ministry said in a statement, and was put out three hours later.

“Four people evacuated (the site) on their own before the arrival of firefighters,” reports said.

Reports said that one of the survivors was a staff member, while three others were residents whom she managed to lead out of the one-storey wooden building.

The 11 victims were also elderly residents who had mobility issues and could not be quickly evacuated, reports said.

Russia’s investigative committee said it has launched a probe into the incident.

Olusola Akintonde/Reuters