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Six Killed In Odesa Psychiatric Hospital Fire


The dead were said to include a nurse and five patients.
The dead were said to include a nurse and five patients.

ODESA, Ukraine -- Six people have died as fire swept through a psychiatric hospital in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, authorities say.

Five people were hospitalized with carbon-monoxide poisoning after the fire erupted late on June 10 in the one-story building, Ukraine's Emergency Service said.

The dead included a nurse and five patients, according to an RFE/RL journalist.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.

Police opened a criminal investigation into possible fire-safety violations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he regretted the "terrible tragedy" and directed Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman to immediately set up a commission to investigate.

Deadly fires are not uncommon in Ukraine due to outdated infrastructure and poor security measures.

With reporting by AFP
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