Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16 elderly residents

At least 16 elderly residents died in a fire at a nursing home south of Santiago, Chile, on Friday evening, according to authorities.

• The blaze broke out Friday evening at the El Edén nursing home near Pitrufquén, roughly 640km south of the capital, in a facility housing 26 people.
• Ten residents were evacuated with injuries and taken to hospital; firefighters extinguished the blaze Saturday morning and were clearing debris at the scene.
• President José Antonio Kast ordered a nationwide review of nursing home conditions and said authorities will cooperate with the justice system to identify any failures in oversight or prevention.
• Prosecutor Jorge Granada, leading the case, said the cause of the fire was not clear at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.
• The single-storey nursing home had faced fines and enforcement proceedings for regulatory violations since 2019.
• Pitrufquén municipality had submitted a request for an inspection of the El Edén facility in February.