A major fire broke this morning at a hospital designated to treat COVID-19 patient in St. Petersburg, Russia leaving at least five patients burnt to death while 150 people were successfully evacuated to safety.
Emergency services were alerted about a fire at the Saint George Hospital at around 6:30am local time. Plumes of smokes were coming out of the building’s sixth floor.
At least five people died, officials told local media. Citing sources, media reported that the victims were patients receiving artificial lung ventilation. Around 150 people were evacuated.
The hospital was repurposed to treat Covid-19 patients after the start of the outbreak, and has more than 5,480 beds. Firefighters were deployed to the scene, and the fire is reported to currently be under control.
According to local media, a response team was previously called to the hospital on May 1 to neutralize a chemical leak on the third floor.
