HOSPITAL FIRE KILLS EIGHT PATIENTS

Governor Sahabettin Harputlu of Bursa province said it was not clear whether the patients died of smoke inhalation or when life support machines were left without power during the fire at the Sevket Yilmaz hospital in the west of the country.

A suspected short circuit sparked the fire in the basement and affected the entire building when the hospital's ventilating system did not work because of the power failure, Mr Harputlu said.

Authorities evacuated all 44 of the hospital's patients, eight of whom died.

Several other patients suffered from smoke inhalation but all were in a stable condition, authorities said.