Six people died and around 80 were injured in a fire at a nursing home in Italy.
The blaze broke out at the Casa dei Coniugi home for the elderly, in Milan, at about 1.30am today.
Firefighters believe it started in a room where two women were living, who were both killed.
Three other women and one man make up the rest of what mayor Giuseppe Sala called a ‘very heavy toll’.
All of those who were taken to hospital are being treated for smoke inhalation, with at least two in critical condition.
The fire was contained by early morning and those who were not harmed in the disaster were transferred to other facilities.
The blaze seemingly began on the first floor and did not spread widely, but the walls next to the room where the flames started were blackened.
However, the smoke managed to spread to the floor above and ‘the fumes are as lethal as the fire’, Mr Sala told local reporters.
The building was home to 167 people with varying levels of care requirements. It is owned by the city authority.
National firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire.
In March, a care home in south London went up in flames and dozens of elderly residents had to be evacuated.
Several of them needed to use breathing apparatus so they would not be badly injured from the smoke.
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