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Hospital fire in northern Germany kills two
Hospital fire in northern Germany kills two
Timothy Jones dpa, AFP, official statements07/02/2026July 2, 2026A fire at a hospital in the northern German town of Ludwigslust has killed two people. Many patients and staff were evacuated from the facility.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GQ4YAt least two people have died and at least one injured after a fire broke out in the roof structure of a hospital in the northern German town of Ludwigslust early on Thursday, officials and police said.
Officials said one person was injured after inhaling smoke, after initially saying dozens had been injured as a result of the blaze.
The two fatalities were both patients at the facility, regional authorities said, according to Germany's dpa news agency.
What do we know about the fire in Ludwigslust?
The cause of the blaze at the hospital remains unclear.
According to broadcaster NDR, the fire broke out in a room with a patient, spreading to the roof of the radiology department.
It said the fire was now under control.
A spokeswoman for the regional authorities said the fire started in a room in the vascular surgery department.
One patient died in that room and another in the room next to it, she said.
Police said both victims were men, one of whom was 85 years old, while the other has not yet been identified.
Large-scale evacuation of hospital
Many patients and staff were evacuated from the facility, which has 160 beds, according to the hospital's website.
Police said traffic near the facility had been considerably disrupted.
The initial reports of dozens of injured were based only on the number of people being medically examined at the scene, who were mostly found to have been unharmed, officials said.
The premier of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig, has expressed sorrow and offered condolences to the victims and their families.
"My sorrow and my sympathy goes to the loved ones of the victims," she said at a press conference.
Schwesig also thanked the emergency services, saying they had helped prevent a worse catastrophe.
State parliament holds moment of silence for victims
Members of the state parliament stood for a moment in silence during their morning session to honor the victims of the fire.
The hospital is the only one in the town.
Ludwigslust is located in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 40 km (25 miles) south of the state capital, Schwerin.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
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