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A fire at a nursing home in Chile’s Araucania region has killed 16 elderly residents, authorities said on Saturday.
The blaze began on Friday night at the nursing home in the Araucania region, 640 kilometres (400 miles) south of the capital Santiago,
Firefighters extinguished the blaze in the early hours of Saturday, while images shared on social media showed flames rising above the building during the night.
“We express our sorrow and dismay at the deaths of 16 elderly people in this tragedy,” authorities in the municipality of Pitrufquen said in a statement.
A total of 26 people were inside the nursing home when the fire started. Ten survivors were taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to authorities.
Local mayor Jacqueline Romero said municipal health and public safety teams, firefighters and police responded to the incident and were providing support to the victims’ families.
The cause of the fire remained unclear.
“It is a situation that fills our souls with great sorrow and pain. We have been… providing support to the families,” she said.
Prosecutor Jorge Granada, who was assigned to the case, said investigators were examining the scene and questioning people as they worked to establish how the fire started and what caused it.
He added that authorities were also investigating whether any third party was involved.
