Emergencies - Two patients die in hospital fire in the Palatinate region
Two patients aged 72 and 80 have died in a fire at a hospital in Frankenthal (Rhineland-Palatinate). Seven people were injured. This was announced by the Rheinpfalz police headquarters on Tuesday. The fire broke out on Monday evening in the room of one of the women in the surgical ward on the second floor. Another 79-year-old patient was able to escape from the room with minor injuries. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.
According to the police, smoke gas caused injuries to six other people. A 29-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man had to be treated as inpatients. 30 people were cared for on site, including by police officers. An autopsy is to be carried out on the two victims to determine the cause of death. The women were found dead during the firefighting work on Monday evening.
"The whole of Frankenthal is deeply shocked", said Lord Mayor Martin Hebich (CDU). "It is a particular tragedy that people who were seeking medical help have lost their lives." He expressed his condolences to the relatives and thanked the emergency services. "They did everything possible to save people." The affected ward cannot be used for the time being. However, no patients had to be transferred to another hospital.
The public prosecutor's office commissioned an expert to investigate the cause of the fire. He is to examine the scene of the fire on Wednesday together with investigators from the criminal investigation department.
According to the fire department, the flames were reported at around 8.20 p.m. on Monday. The massive blaze in the room was fought by three teams wearing heavy breathing apparatus. "The hospital staff reacted in an exemplary manner and evacuated patients from the adjacent rooms of the ward before the fire department arrived," it said. They were moved to the 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. The authorities estimated the damage at around 50,000 euros.
According to the fire department, more than 100 people were deployed - from the fire department, rescue service and the Frankenthal disaster control team. Experts from the psychosocial emergency care team looked after the emergency services, nursing staff and relatives.
According to its own information, the clinic employs around 700 people. There are 315 inpatient beds and day clinic places available. It is run by the city. Frankenthal has a population of around 50,000 and is located between Worms and Ludwigshafen, close to the border with Baden-Württemberg.
Police statement Second statement from the fire department
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Source: www.stern.de
