World

Eight die in fire at home for the elderly in Serbia, state TV reports

Initial findings suggest the cause was arson, according to a Serbian minister.

Eight people died in the fire (AP)
Eight people died in the fire (AP) (Darko Vojinovic/AP)
By AP Reporters

Eight people have died in a fire at a home for the elderly on the outskirts of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, officials and media said.

Seven people were injured in the blaze that erupted around 3.30am in Barajevo, a municipality on the southern edge of Belgrade, state-run RTS television reported.

Police did not immediately issue an official statement. The RTS report quoted emergency sector officer Luka Causic as saying 30 people were in the home.

Officials said the tragedy ‘could have been much worse’ (AP)
Officials said the tragedy ‘could have been much worse’ (AP) (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

“This is a huge tragedy, but it could have been even worse,” he said.

The Serbian government’s social care minister Nemanja Starovic told RTS initial findings suggest the cause was arson.

The RTS report said the injured were transferred to a hospital in Belgrade.