37 dead in fire at Russian psychiatric hospital

Russia's top investigative agency says 37 people have died in a fire in a Russian psychiatric hospital.

The fire in the one-story hospital in the village of Luka in the northwestern Novgorod region erupted around 3 am today and quickly engulfed the structure, which dates back to the 19th century, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The Investigative Committee said today that rescuers so far have recovered 10 bodies. It did not explain how it knew about the other deaths.

The agency added that the blaze was apparently sparked by a patient.

Authorities had long warned that the mostly wooden building was unsafe.