Two reported killed, dozens hurt in hospital fire in Germany

A fire has swept through a hospital in the northeastern German town of Ludwigslust, killing two patients and injuring 34 others, local authorities and German media reported.

The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the Helene-von-Bulow-Klinikum, a local facility in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district.

According to reports from the German public broadcaster NDR, the fire originated in a patient’s room before rapidly spreading to the roof trusses directly above the hospital’s radiology department.

A spokesperson for the district administration confirmed to the regional newspaper Nordkurier that the two individuals who died were patients at the clinic.

Emergency medical services reported that 34 others suffered minor injuries, primarily from smoke inhalation, and none are believed to be in life-threatening condition.

The DPA news agency reported that emergency workers evacuated 82 patients from the building as dense smoke billowed through the complex.

Images published by local media showed patients in hospital gowns being wheeled out on beds and wheelchairs onto lawns and pavements surrounding the facility, as firefighters battled the flames.

More than 100 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene. Local police stated that the fire has since been brought under control. The hospital’s emergency room was temporarily closed but has since reopened.

Hospital management intends to resume operations in the unaffected wings of the facility once safety checks are completed.

The facility is the town’s only hospital.

The Rostock Police Headquarters has launched an investigation into the incident, noting that the precise cause of the initial room fire remains undetermined.

Ludwigslust is positioned in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 40km (25 miles) south of the capital city of Schwerin.