Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16

A fire at a nursing home in Chile that had previously violated regulations has killed 16 elderly residents and left others hospitalised, authorities said Saturday.

The blaze began on Friday night at the single-storey care home in the Araucania region, 640 kilometers (400 miles) south of the capital, Santiago, and was extinguished early Saturday.

Images shared on social media showed massive flames rising above the building in the darkness, while a fire truck sprayed water to tackle the flames. 

"We express our sorrow and dismay at the deaths of 16 elderly people in this tragedy," authorities in the municipality of Pitrufquen said in a statement.

A total of 26 elderly residents were in the nursing home at the time the fire broke out. Ten of them survived and were taken to the local hospital, the statement said.

On Saturday, firefighters were still clearing debris and removing collapsed corrugated metal roofing. Police cordoned off the area for safety.

"It is a situation that fills our souls with great sorrow and pain. We have been... providing support to the families," said local mayor Jacqueline Romero, who said that municipal health and public safety teams, firefighters and police were deployed.

The cause of the fire remained unclear.

"We are currently carrying out investigative procedures, including examining the scene and conducting inquiries, to determine the origin and cause of the fire, as well as to rule out third-party involvement," Jorge Granada, the prosecutor assigned to the case, told local media.

The owners of the private care home were summoned to give statements.

An official at the regional health secretariat said there had been previous operational problems at the care home. 

"It was an unregulated facility; it had faced administrative proceedings and fines since 2019, and was a repeat offender," the official, Jose Bravo, said. 

"In February, the municipality had sent a letter specifically calling for an inspection because the facility was not in compliance with regulations -- it was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings," Romero told local networks. 

On his X account, Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast demanded that the truth be uncovered and "necessary corrections be made to do everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again." 

He said he had ordered "urgent measures" to review conditions at nursing homes across the country.