Rome: Firefighters comb through debris after blaze sweeps through hospital overnight

Three elderly people were killed when fire swept through a hospital overnight in the town of Tivoli, close to Rome, Italian media reported on Saturday (9 December).

A fourth body was found in the mortuary of the San Giovanni Evangelista hospital but that victim was believed to have died before the blaze broke out shortly before 11pm local time on Friday night.

The fire brigade used turntable ladders to help evacuate around 200 people from the hospital, including a pregnant woman and a number of children.

Those evacuated were taken to hospitals in other parts of Rome for treatment.

The fire brigade said that the blaze has been put out and an investigation to establish its cause is under way.