MOSCOW, April 26 (Itar-Tass) – Investigators check the version of arson in the mental hospital in the town of Ramensky, the Moscow Region. The version is not ruled out, a source at the Russian investigative Committee (SK) said.
The investigators are considering all the possible versions of the fire, including carelessness, an electric equipment defect, arson and others, the source said.
The fire broke out in a room where a group of patients after quarantine was placed the day before, spokeswoman for the SK regional department Irina Gumennaya told Itar-Tass. She said under consideration were two main versions – a short circuit and carelessness in fire handling.
Experts from the central SK office arrived at the site. The investigators question the nurse who survived. Forensic and medical examinations will be conducted. According to the preliminary information, most of the people in the hospital died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Twelve dead bodies have been found at the fire site in the town of Ramensky, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry's regional centre told Itar-Tass.
The examination of the premises is continuing.
Forty one people, including three personnel members, were in the hospital when the fire broke out. Only three, including a nurse, survived. The rest 38 people supposedly are dead.
The nurse who rescued two patients could not lead the rest out when the fire swept the corridor and spread fast. She could rescue only two patients – a woman and a young man.
Most of the patients were sleeping after they took medicines before the night.
A criminal case is opened over the fire.
The Moscow Region's Acting Governor Andrei Vorobyov has declared mourning in connection with the tragedy in Ramensky.
The governor declared mourning in the Moscow Region on April 27, his press service told Itar-Tass.