Five people died and others were injured in a fire at a hospital in Lower Saxony

Three patients died directly in the fire, the fourth also after being transported to the hospital. The affected clinic said that six people suffered serious injuries and 16 light and moderate injuries.

The fire started on the third floor of the Uelzen hospital late Thursday evening and spread to several rooms of the inpatient ward. 140 firefighters and rescuers arrived at the scene and evacuated a number of patients using ladders. Most of the injured have burns of varying severity or were poisoned by smoke. Firefighters extinguished the fire.

Paramedics created a collection point where they evaluated the condition of the patients and then took them to other departments of the hospital or to nearby medical facilities.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, the police are working at the hospital. According to initial estimates, the fire caused damage in the amount of one million euros (24.6 million crowns). The hospital has announced that it will not be accepting any patients, not even for emergency admission, until next Saturday.

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