Horror in Bosnia as fire rips through Tuzla nursing home, killing ten

Tuzla: Ten residents were killed and around 20 others injured after a fire broke out late on Tuesday at a nursing home in Tuzla, northeastern Bosnia, police said. The blaze erupted on the seventh floor of the Tuzla retirement home around 8:45 pm (1945 GMT), claiming the lives of several elderly residents before it was brought under control within an hour.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, witnessed one of its worst care-home tragedies in recent years. Emergency responders, including firefighters, police officers, and medical staff, were among those treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries at the Tuzla University Clinical Centre. Several patients were hospitalised for carbon monoxide poisoning, with three in the Clinic for Internal Medicine, two in intensive care, and one under admission treatment, according to the centre’s spokesperson, Ersija Asceric Mujedinovic.

Also read: At least 3 dead, 11 injured as UPS cargo plane crashes near Louisville airport

A resident of the home, Ruza Kajic, told national broadcaster BHRT that she woke up to the sound of cracking glass before seeing burning material fall past her window. “I ran out into the hallway. On the upper floors, there are bedridden people,” she said.

Local media footage showed flames engulfing the upper floor of the building as emergency crews battled the fire through the night. Officials said a full investigation will be launched once conditions allow to determine the cause of the blaze.

Bosnian leaders, including the chairman of the country’s tripartite presidency, Zeljko Komsic, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished a swift recovery to those injured. The prime minister of the Muslim-Croat entity, Nermin Niksic, described the fire as “a disaster of enormous proportions.”