China News Agency Nursultan, January 22. News from Kiev: A fire broke out in a nursing home in Kharkov, eastern Ukraine, on the afternoon of the 21st local time. As of the 22nd, at least 15 people have died.
According to the Ukrainian National Emergency Agency, the fire broke out at about 13:00 on the 21st. After more than 50 rescuers and 13 rescue vehicles extinguished the fire, the fire was brought under control at about 16:00 that day.
Rescuers found the remains of 15 victims at the scene and rescued 9 people, of which 5 injured people were sent to hospital for treatment.
According to Uzbekistan News Agency, Uzbek Prime Minister Shmegar expressed condolences to the victims through social media on the 21st, and said that an investigation committee was established to investigate the cause of the fire.
According to the Ukrainian Presidential Palace, Ukrainian President Zelensky arrived at the scene of the incident on the 22nd to participate in the investigation of the cause of the fire.
Zelensky has asked the Cabinet to find out the cause of the fire as soon as possible and improve the relevant mechanisms for responding to such emergencies.
Zelensky stated that a national mourning will be held on January 23 for the unfortunate victims in the accident.
Earlier, Igor Terekhov, the acting mayor of Kharkov, announced that January 22 was the day of mourning for Kharkov.
Uk News Agency reported that preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was related to the careless use of electric heating equipment.
The nursing home that caught fire had a two-story structure, and there were 33 people in the building when the fire broke out.
The nursing home is private and has not been registered with the government for recuperation purposes.
At present, relevant Uzbek departments have detained four persons in charge of nursing homes for violating fire safety regulations.
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