A fire that tore through a Latvian nursing home killing more than 20 residents might be the deadliest in the nation's history.
Fire fighters were called to a disabled persons care home in the Alsunga district in western Latvia in the early hours of Friday Feb. 23. The building was already well alight when emergency crews arrived.
Rescuers managed to evacuate 42 residents to safety, but the roof of the building collapsed before all persons could be accounted for.
At least 20 people are missing, and the death toll could reach as much as 27, a State Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said.
The bodies of two victims have been located, but search efforts have been hampered by the unstable building conditions.
Welfare Minister Dagnija Stake told Latvian public radio "The tragedy is unspeakable." She extended condolences to the relatives of the victims.
Early indications show that faulty electrical wiring or heating equipment might be the cause of the fire.
Interior Ministry state secretary Aivars Straume told BNS that if the final death toll from the blaze comes to 27 people, it will become the most deadliest fire accident ever recorded in Latvia's history, as no fire accident of this scale have been recorded in the country even in the period between the two world wars.
