16 killed in Indonesia nursing home fire

Jakarta: A devastating fire at a retirement home in the North Sulawesi provincial capital killed 16 people and left three others injured on Sunday night, according to local officials.

The blaze broke out at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the Panti Werdha Damai nursing home in Manado. Jimmy Rotinsulu, head of the city's fire and rescue agency, confirmed the toll on Monday, stating, "There were 16 deaths; three people had burn injuries."

Rescuers discovered many of the victims' bodies inside their rooms. Rotinsulu noted that most of the elderly residents were likely resting for the evening when the fire erupted, leaving them trapped as flames spread through the facility.

Emergency teams successfully evacuated 12 residents who were unharmed; they were subsequently transferred to a local hospital for observation. Footage broadcast by Metro TV showed the structure engulfed in orange flames as neighbours and bystanders rushed to assist an elderly person in escaping the building.

Deadly fires are a recurring issue in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where safety regulations are often poorly enforced. The tragedy in Manado follows a major fire earlier this month that claimed at least 22 lives in a seven-story office complex in Jakarta. In 2023, an explosion at a nickel-processing plant in eastern Indonesia resulted in at least 12 fatalities.

Police forensic teams and fire investigators remain on-site to determine the cause of the inferno.

With inputs from AFP