Fire kills dozens in Russian psychiatric hospital
- 11 years ago
Twisted black metal is all that is left of hospital beds at a Russian psychiatric facility where officials say 38 people were killed in a fire on Friday morning.
Firefighters battled the blaze but couldn't keep flames from overtaking the single-story building, says witness and former hospital worker Tamara Kukushina.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) FORMER HOSPITAL WORKER, FIRE WITNESS, TAMARA KUKUSHINA, SAYING:
"I don't know what could have (happened) there. I woke up, looked out of the window - there was a blaze, opened the curtains - it was burning. So we all ran outside, all the people left their houses and were standing outside and watching. Then the fire fighters arrived. They started to fight the fire. So that was it. But what or why that happened - we don't know."
The hospital - in a small village north of Moscow - was home to people found mentally ill by Russian courts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an investigation into the incident - the
Firefighters battled the blaze but couldn't keep flames from overtaking the single-story building, says witness and former hospital worker Tamara Kukushina.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) FORMER HOSPITAL WORKER, FIRE WITNESS, TAMARA KUKUSHINA, SAYING:
"I don't know what could have (happened) there. I woke up, looked out of the window - there was a blaze, opened the curtains - it was burning. So we all ran outside, all the people left their houses and were standing outside and watching. Then the fire fighters arrived. They started to fight the fire. So that was it. But what or why that happened - we don't know."
The hospital - in a small village north of Moscow - was home to people found mentally ill by Russian courts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an investigation into the incident - the