Patients killed in their beds as blaze engulfs mental hospital

Health ministry officials said the single-storey hospital housed patients aged between 20 and 76, all of whom had severe mental disorders. Most were in bed when the blaze broke out.

Vadim Belovoshin, from the emergency situations ministry, said the windows were barred but there were two fire escapes.

Officials from the Russian Investigative Committee said they are looking at poor fire regulations and an electrical short circuit as possible causes for the blaze in the Ramenskoye settlement.

By early yesterday morning, investigators had confirmed 38 people – 36 patients and two doctors – as dead. Only one nurse and two patients managed to escape.

Mr Belovoshin said it took firefighters an hour to get to the hospital because a local ferry across the canal was closed and crews had to make a detour.

A spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee told Russian news agencies that most of the people died in their beds and did not even try to escape.