NAfter the fire in a hospital in the Lower Saxony town of Uelzen late on Thursday evening, the number of deaths increased to four. A police spokesman announced this on Friday. Three people died on site, another person was taken to another hospital and died there. The four dead were patients; the spokesman did not want to provide any information about their gender. It was initially unclear how many people were injured in the fire. There is a double-digit number of injured, said the police spokesman.
The fire broke out on the third floor of the clinic and spread to several patient rooms. Numerous people were rescued from the hospital, some using ladders. Around 140 rescue workers were on duty, as a spokesman for the fire department said on Friday night. Accordingly, the injured suffered smoke inhalation and burns. The fire had been extinguished.
The hospital company expressed its deep dismay at the serious fire. “Our condolences and thoughts are with the families of the deceased and the injured patients,” it said.
Damage of more than one million euros
According to initial estimates, the total damage could be more than one million euros, the police said. The cause of the fire was initially unclear. The police searched for clues at the scene of the fire. “We are initially investigating in all directions,” said the police spokesman.
The hospital announced that due to the fire at the Helios Clinic in Uelzen, no patients could be admitted until Friday, January 12, 2024. “We will inform affected patients and – where possible – discuss alternative appointments,” it said. Nobody can currently be treated in the emergency room either. “We ask that you switch to other hospitals.”
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