A fire broke out at an intensive care unit of the Piatra Neamt Regional Emergency Hospital in Romania, leading to at least 10 deaths and 10 injuries. According to official local reports, all 10 dead were Covid-19 coronavirus patients while several of the injured have life-threatening wounds. 8 victims were reportedly killed in the room where the fire broke out on the second floor while 2 others in adjacent to it. While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Romanian Health Minister Nelu Tataru told local media outlets that the fire was most likely triggered "by a short circuit" and spread quickly due to oxygen supplies used in the intensive care unit. Minister Tataru added that other Covid-19 coronavirus patients are being transferred to another medical facility in the city of Iasi.

The hospital's current manager, Lucian Micu, was just appointed 3 weeks ago after his predecessor resigned over poor treatment of patients and accusations of forcing patients, many showing symptoms of the coronavirus, to wait outside of the hospital in the cold. The new manager also reported an act of heroism that took place in the hospital when a doctor on duty tried to save patients from the flames, and is now in critical condition with first and second-degree burns covering about 80% of his body.

As of November 14th, 2020, Romania has reported about 344,000 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. While about 232,000 in the nation are reported to have recovered, just 8,700 Covid-19-related mortalities were documented.

Note: The first two photos used in this article were retrieved from the public domain, and do not require attribution or citation for commercial purposes. The last photo is my personal photo.