Fire at nursing home in Sri Lanka kills 12 people

A fire broke out at an unregistered nursing home in western Sri Lanka, killing 12 people and injuring eight others.

The fire started at the house in the town of Anguruwatota late Wednesday.

Police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said 51 residents were rescued.

People with mental illnesses are also housed there, he said.

The manager of the house was arrested on suspicion of causing deaths due to negligence.

Footage from the Associated Press showed the building being evacuated with charred furniture and equipment and bodies lying nearby.

Local television channel Hiru broadcast photos of firefighters, police and residents trying to control the raging blaze.

The rescued people were put on buses by police and soldiers and taken to a safe place.

Chathura Mihudum, director of the National Secretariat for the Elderly, said the facility was not registered as a nursing home and had been warned to comply with the law and guidelines.

He said beds for about 15 people in an area where 71 people live were overcrowded.

Without going into details, he said that government officials had previously visited the institution and instructed the management to comply with the law.