Eight people have been killed and seven injured in a fire that broke out in a nursing home in Barajevo, a remote area of the Serbian capital Belgrade.
"Unfortunately, eight people lost their lives in the fire. I have to give credit to the swift response of the security services, who saved, or rather evacuated, 13 people. But above all I would like to express my condolences to the families of the victims," Nemanja Starovic, minister of labour, veterans and social affairs, told local media, AFP reported.
"An investigation is underway and I think the prosecution will be able to give official figures very quickly, during the day," he added.
According to Luka Chausic, head of the emergency sector, 30 people were in the nursing home when the fire broke out at 03:30 local time.
The injured were taken away by emergency services and treated at the military hospital in Belgrade.
A search was still being carried out early in the morning to ensure that no fire outbreak remained, "and the cause of the incident will be established in the next few hours," according to the official.
Chausic added that the nursing home was isolated, but that fire crews arrived quickly. | BGNES
