Compiled by GERARD GIMINO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
A LEAK from the cooking gas cylinder while evening meal was being prepared caused an explosion which led to a fire that killed at least 13 elderly people in Sri Lanka.
The tragedy at the elder care facility in Kalutara city, 65km from Colombo, has left the country horrified, Malaysia Nanban reported.
Latest reports indicated that 13 people had died in the fire which started in the kitchen and quickly spread to the rest of the facility including the residents’ rooms.
The facility was home to 71 people, along with 10 staff members.
Staff members said most of the residents managed to flee in time.
Some brave nurses and managers helped others reach safety using wheelchairs. However, they were not able to help everyone as the heat was too intense.
The owner of the care home has been placed under arrest while police investigate the case.
Police and military officers deployed to the scene were seen helping the rescued residents board buses to be taken to temporary lodging.
It was also reported that the facility was not licensed to operate as an elderly care facility and did not meet minimum safety requirements.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
