At least eight people have been killed in a fire in a home for people with disabilities in the Czech Republic on the border with Germany.
About three dozen people were injured, several of them seriously, a spokesman for the emergency services told German news agency dpa on Sunday.
Many residents of the home suffered from smoke inhalation.
Thirty people were treated on site, with 17 taken to nearby hospitals.
Regional health spokesman Ivo Chrastecky told CTK news agency one patient is in intensive care, another had to be intubated, while yet another underwent surgery for burns.
The fire broke out in the home in the small town of Vejprty shortly before 5am local time on Sunday, with the cause not yet apparent.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis hurried to the scene and lamented the "terrible tragedy" in a Twitter post.
Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek assured the causes of the fire were being properly investigated.
Vejprty Mayor Jitka Gavdunova said smoke detectors were installed only in the toilets because residents went there to smoke.
The fire broke out in a common room.
Smoke detectors in the Czech Republic are only required by law in new residential buildings.
Australian Associated Press
