ZAPORIZHZHYA, Ukraine — A fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya has killed four people.
The regional police directorate told RFE/RL on February 4 that a probe has been launched into the deadly blaze overnight that took the lives of three patients and a nurse.
According to police, two other patients were hospitalized with burns,
The Zaporizhzhya regional administration said that a special commission will be formed to look into the tragedy, adding that all hospitals treating COVID-19 patients will be inspected for fire safety in the immediate future.
Deadly fires caused by violations of safety regulations or faulty wiring are common in former Soviet republics.
On January 21, a fire at an unregistered nursing home in Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv killed 15 people.