By Rucsandra Moldoveanu

 

SANTIAGO, 12 Sept. - (ANA) - At least 16 people have died after a huge fire ripped through a nursing home in Chile.

 

The blaze broke out at around 10.30pm local time yesterday (2.30am BST today) at the retirement site near the city of Pitrufquén in the south of the country. Just 10 people were evacuated in time, with the cause of the fire yet to be determined.

 

The mayor of Pitrufquén, Jaqueline Romero, said: "Ten elderly people were rescued, taken to the hospital and are being evaluated."

 

It is understood 26 adults were inside the building at the time of the fire but not all of them were elderly, the prosecutor of Pitrufquén, Jorge Granada, said.

 

According to T13, General Miguel Herrera, head of the Araucanía Zone of the Carabineros, said: "Around 10:30 p.m., a fire broke out, and only 10 people living in the nursing home were evacuated. We must lament the death of 16 people, who are the ones that have been found by firefighters at this time."

 

The long-stay facility for the elderly is located in Villa Comuy, a town west of Pitrufquén in the Araucanía Region. A nearby high school has been set up as a shelter for those affected. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/12 September 2026 - -