Fire in Frankenthal city clinic - two dead found

Emergencies - Fire in Frankenthal city clinic - two dead found

Two dead bodies were found on Monday evening while extinguishing a fire in the Frankenthal city clinic in Rhineland-Palatinate. This was announced by the Rheinpfalz police headquarters. According to the fire department, a patient room in the surgical ward was on fire. According to the current state of the investigation, six people were also injured, three of them seriously. These included staff from the city clinic, the police said. The fire has now been extinguished, it was reported late in the evening.

The fire in a patient room on the second floor was reported at around 8.20 p.m., the fire department said. "The hospital staff reacted in an exemplary manner and evacuated patients from the adjacent rooms of the ward before the fire department arrived." According to the fire department, patients were transferred to other areas of the hospital.

A section of the ward was affected by the fire. However, the intensive care unit, the entire operating theater, the recovery ward and the delivery room are still operational. The rest of the hospital's operations were also unaffected by the fire.

Criminalinvestigation department has started investigations

The Ludwigshafen criminal investigation department has started an investigation into the cause of the fire and death. The exact number of casualties and the nature of the injuries have not yet been determined, the police said. It is also not yet possible to say how much property damage was caused.

According to the fire department, more than 100 people were deployed - from the fire department, rescue service and Frankenthal's disaster control team. Experts from the psychosocial emergency care team looked after the emergency services, nursing staff and relatives.

According to its own website, the clinic employs around 700 people. There are 315 inpatient beds and day clinic places available. It is run by the city of Frankenthal.

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1. The Rheinpfalz police headquarters advised that they are coordinating with the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in Ludwigshafen to delete any potential evidence related to the fire incident at the city clinic in Frankenthal.
2. In response to the unfortunate incident at the city clinic, several emergency services, including the Fire department, Rescue service, and the Frankenthal disaster control team, were deployed in a large-scale operation.
3. In light of the fire incident, some operational changes were made at the city clinic; for instance, patients from the affected ward were transferred to different areas of the hospital, and the clinic's CID (City Information Desk) has been activated to assist the affected families and visitors.
4. The Rheinpfalz police are currently working closely with the city clinic and the Fire department to identify the cause of the emergency and prevent such incidents in the future.
5. Following the incident, the hospitals in Rhineland-Palatinate, including the city clinic in Frankenthal, have upgraded their emergency response procedures to ensure the safety of their patients and staff during any future emergencies.
6. The Ludwigshafen CID is anticipated to release an update on the fire incident proceedings, including the cause, extent of property damage, and potential motives, in the coming days.

Source: www.stern.de