“A terrible tragedy”: A midnight fire ravaged a hospital, killing 3 patients and evacuating 200.

“Three people died in the fire because the fourth died an hour earlier,” the president of the Lazio region, Francesco Rocca, told reporters outside the hospital, after firefighters initially declared four people dead.

On Saturday morning, Health Minister Horacio Shilasi sent his condolences to the families of the “four elderly people who lost their lives”, lamenting a “terrible tragedy”.

Circumstances to be noted

“We hope the investigation will clarify the cause of the fire as quickly as possible,” he added in a press release on Saturday morning.

The fire broke out at 10:30pm on Friday at the San Giovanni Evangelista Hospital in Tivoli, twenty kilometers from Rome.

The rescue operation managed to evacuate around 200 people.

Patients admitted to intensive care were transferred to other hospitals in the region, while others were treated by emergency services at the nearby municipal gymnasium, the municipality of Tivoli said on Facebook.

Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on social media

The tragedy evoked strong emotion in the political class and raised questions about the security of the establishment.

Officials said the prosecution has started an investigation and post-mortem examinations will be conducted to understand the circumstances of the tragedy.

According to media reports, the fire started in the basement before moving to the kitchens and upper floors.