Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Elderly man kills neighbours by setting himself alight

Nine people have died during a fire at a Russian nursing home started when an elderly resident set himself alight. Authorities confirmed two other people were injured and 480 evacuated after the fire broke out.

The nursing home was in Vishny Volochek in the Tver region, located about 120 miles (200km) north of Moscow. One woman resident said: "There was smoke, and I got a cough and started to choke from the smoke.



"My neighbour told me, 'Get dressed and let's go out'. We went out by ourselves. There was smoke everywhere, we couldn't see anything. Then the firefighters started to push us out of the building and carry me out downstairs."

Investigators said an 86-year-old resident committed suicide by setting fire to himself, starting a blaze that killed eight people in neighbouring rooms from smoke and gas inhalation. The man is believed to have been in a dispute with authorities over getting his own apartment under a scheme for World War Two veterans.

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