Daily US Times: Officials in Romania confirmed at least ten people had been killed and several others seriously injured in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the country.
The blaze broke out in the intensive care unit of the public hospital in Piatra Neamt city.
One doctor who tried to rescue patients from the blazing hospital is said to be in a critical condition after suffering serious burns. The doctor has suffered severe burning to most of his body.
Romania’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru told the fire was “most likely triggered by a short circuit”.
The minister said that other Covid patients being treated at the hospital were being transferred to another facility in the city of Iasi.
According to local media, the injured doctor was being transferred to the capital, Bucharest, by a military plane, local media report.
Mr Tataru said: “There are other medical staff who suffered burns, not only the doctor on duty,” adding that he was heading to city following the incident at the hospital on Saturday evening.
Eight of the victims were reportedly killed in the room on the second floor, where the fire broke out, and two others in a room next to it. All were said have been receiving treatment for Covid-19. Many in the ward were on ventilators.
The health ministry said the fire was believed to have spread quickly after it was fed oxygen by the supplies used to intubate patients.
Romania has reported 8,813 deaths and more than 350,000 cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
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