Fire kills at least 2 people in COVID-19 hospital in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania

At least two people were killed in a fire that erupted in a COVID-19 hospital in the central Romanian city of Ploiesti, according to local authorities on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Mihaela Florescu said the blaze broke out for an unknown reason in the infectious disease wing of the state hospital.

She underlined that two patients connected to the breathing apparatus died in the fire.

Noting that 20 patients in the hospital were evacuated, Florescu said a hospital employee was injured while trying to extinguish the fire.

In Romania, currently undergoing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the burden on the health system and hospitals increased significantly.

The blaze in the Ploiesti hospital was the fourth fire that broke out in the country's COVID-19 hospital during the pandemic.

Romania to date reported over 1.72 million coronavirus cases and nearly 52,000 pandemic-related fatalities, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing and contributions by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara