At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 injured after a fire ripped through a retirement home in the Bosnian city of Tuzla late Tuesday night.
The blaze broke out on the building’s seventh floor around 8:45 p.m. local time.
Horrifying footage shows flames and smoke circulating the on upper levels.
This is where many residents were bedridden or unable to move on their own.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, rescuing dozens as the fire spread.
Firefighters and rescue workers were among those injured, officials said.
Tuzla mayor, Zijad Lugavic, confirmed that authorities were holding an emergency meeting to assess the damage and coordinate support for survivors.
Resident, Ruza Kajic, who lives on the third floor, said she was in bed when she heard popping sounds and saw flames falling from above.
“I had gone to bed when I heard a cracking sound.
“I don’t know if it was the windows in my room breaking.
“I live on the (home’s) third floor.
“I looked out the window and saw burning material falling from above,” she told BHRT national broadcaster.
Police said 10 residents of the facility were confirmed dead, with more than 20 others injured.
This included firefighters, medical staff, and care home employees.
Survivors are currently being treated at Tuzla University Clinical Centre.
According to a spokesperson for the Centre, several patients were being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Three of whom are in intensive care, local media reports.
The head of the nursing home, Mirsad Bakalović, said that after everything he had seen during the fire he had decided to resign.
The chairman of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, Zeljko Komsic, offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
He wished a speed recovery to those injured.
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The prime minister of the Muslim-Croat entity, Nermin Niksic, called the fire a “disaster of enormous proportions.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials say the blaze is now under control.