Ten people have lost their lives and around twenty others were injured after a devastating fire tore through a nursing home in northeastern Bosnia late on Tuesday night, police have confirmed.
“According to preliminary information, ten residents of the Tuzla retirement home lost their lives in the fire,” a police spokeswoman said in an official statement. She added that approximately twenty individuals — including firefighters, police officers, medical workers, staff members, and residents — had been treated at the Tuzla University Clinical Centre for injuries sustained during the incident.
Authorities from the nursing home stated that the blaze erupted on the seventh floor of the building at approximately 8:45 p.m. (1945 GMT), claiming the lives of ten residents before it was finally brought under control.
Resident Ruza Kajic, who survived the fire, recounted her terrifying experience to national broadcaster BHRT: “I had gone to bed when I heard a cracking sound. I don’t know if it was the windows in my room breaking. I live on the home’s third floor. I looked out the window and saw burning material falling from above. I ran out into the hallway. On the upper floors, there are bed-ridden people.”
Local media footage showed flames and smoke billowing from the upper storeys of the nursing home, as emergency services battled the fire through the night.
Police have announced that a full investigation will be launched to determine the cause of the blaze once the building is deemed safe for inspection.
Bosnia’s tripartite presidency chairman Zeljko Komsic expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured. Meanwhile, Nermin Niksic, the Prime Minister of the Muslim-Croat Federation, described the tragedy as “a disaster of enormous proportions,” highlighting the immense emotional and material toll on the local community.