Russia: Five Coronavirus Patients Die In Russia Hospital Fire

A fire outbreak at a hospital in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday has killed five COVID-19 patients who had been hooked up to ventilators, this was revealed by Russian officials and news agencies in the country.

Speaking with AFP, a source in Russia's emergencies ministry said that 150 patients had been evacuated from the fire, while 5 patients lost their lives.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning on the sixth floor of a Saint George hospital in Saint Petersburg. 

According to TASS, the hospital had been converted to a centre for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

READ ALSO: Fire Razes Isolation Center In Moscow

RIA Novosti, a news agency in Russia quoted a spokesperson for emergency service as saying that the outbreak was due to an electrical malfunction, while another source had said that it was caused by an "overload", as the ventilators had been "pushed to their limits."

An investigation into the fire has been commenced by Russia’s Investigative Committee.

This fire comes after a fire outbreak at a hospital in Russia's capital city, Moscow, last week where one life was lost and hundreds others were made to evacuate.

Both incidents are under investigation.