Eight people died early Monday morning in a fire in a nursing home on the outskirts of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, according to officials and media.
Seven people were injured in the fire, which started around 3:30 in the morning in Barajevo, a municipality on the southern edge of Belgrade, Serbian state television, RTS, reported.
The police did not release an official statement at first. The RTS report quoted emergency worker Luka Causic, who said that There were 30 people in the residence.
“It’s a huge tragedy but it could have been even worse,” he said.
The Minister of Social Services of the Serbian government, Nemanja Starovic, told RTS that initial findings suggest that the cause It was an arson.
The RTS report said the injured had been taken to a hospital in Belgrade.