Russian hospital fire kills at least 36

A blaze that broke out in a psychiatric hospital in Russia's Moscow region early Friday has left at least 36 people dead, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

At least 36 people have been killed after a fire erupted in a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Moscow that housed as many as 41 people, including medical staff. [Photo: Agencies]

The death toll could rise to 38 as only three of the 41 people inside the hospital at the time of the fire had escaped, authorities said.

The fire broke out at 2:23 a.m. local time (2223 GMT Thursday) in a single-storeyed building of the mental hospital in Moscow's northern Dmitrovsky district. The fire has been brought under control.

The fire could have been caused by a short-circuit in the building, the police said, adding most of the peopled died in sleep inhaling the fumes.

Since the fire broke out at night, it was hard for those inside the hospital to escape and survive. A search and rescue operation was hindered due to heavy smoke around the building which was almost burnt down, local media reported.

(Xinhua contributed to the story)

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