Eight die, seven injured in Serbian retirement home fire

Monday, 20 January 2025 12:53

By Reuters

Eight people died and seven were injured in a fire at a nursing home outside Belgrade on Monday which authorities said was caused by arson, Serbian state TV RTS reported.

The fire started at 3.30 a.m. (0230 GMT) with 30 people in the home, RTS reported, quoting the head of the government's department for emergency situations, Luka Causevic.

The fire was put out quickly and all the injured were taken to hospitals in Belgrade. One woman is in a serious condition and on a ventilator, RTS reported.

The prosecutors office said the fire was caused by one of the residents of the nursing home who was among those who died.

A detailed statement will be released later on Monday.

"There are indications that this tragedy was caused by criminal activity of one individual," Nemanja Starovic, the Minister for labour, employment and social issues, told RTS.

More from International News

US prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance division Brian Thompson in New York last year.
UN warns window to find Myanmar quake survivors closing

Aid groups in Myanmar on Tuesday described scenes of devastation and desperation after an earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, stressing an urgent need for food, water and shelter and warning the window to find survivors was fast closing.
Trump administration begins mass layoffs at health agencies

The Trump administration has fired staff at U.S. health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, as it embarked on its plan to cut 10,000 health jobs, according to sources familiar with the situation and a health official.
Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah operative in Beirut strike

The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs early on Tuesday, while three other people were reported killed and seven injured, further testing a shaky four-month ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.