5 people killed, 150 evacuated after fire hits St. Petersburg hospital

MOSCOW - Five people were killed and 150 others evacuated on Tuesday after a fire broke out in a hospital in the Vyborgsky district of St. Petersburg, Russia's second biggest city, according to local emergency services.

The dead included patients in the intensive care unit in the St. George City Hospital, and the flames engulfed an area of 10 square meters, Sputnik quoted the Russian Emergencies Ministry as saying.

The hospital has been renovated to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus since mid-March, local media reported.

Preliminary inquiries show that electric equipment malfunction and short-circuit failure are among the factors behind the fire , according to the emergency services.