IBNS-CMEDIA: At least 16 people were killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in Indonesia’s Manado city on Sulawesi island, media reports said.
Indonesian police have begun the process of identifying the victims. The bodies are being examined at Bhayangkara Hospital of the North Sulawesi Regional Police (Polda Sulut), according to Alamsyah P. Hasibuan, head of public relations of Polda Sulut, as reported by Xinhua.
Hasibuan said the identification procedure aims to establish the victims’ full identities before further coordination with their families.
The fire was reported at around 8:36 pm local time on Sunday at the Panti Werdha Damai nursing home, located in the Ranomuut sub-district of Paal Dua district in Manado.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by around 9:30 pm after three fire engines dispatched by the Manado city government arrived at the scene, Xinhua reported.
Survivors of the incident were rushed to Manado City Regional Hospital and Permata Bunda Hospital for treatment.
Police forensic teams have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
