At least 16 people were killed after a massive fire tore through a senior living facility in Chile late Friday night.
The blaze broke out around 10:30 p.m. at the El Edén facility, located between the towns of Pitrufquén and Gorbea in Chile’s La Araucanía region.
Firefighters and emergency medical crews rushed to the scene as flames engulfed the building.
Authorities said only 10 people were able to escape.
“We must lament the death of 16 people,” General Miguel Herrera, head of the Araucanía Zone of the Carabineros, said early Saturday.
The surviving residents were taken to Pitrufquén Hospital, with some suffering injuries.
A nearby school, Liceo La Frontera, was also opened as a temporary shelter for people affected by the fire.
Officials have not yet publicly identified the victims as authorities work to notify their families.
Investigators remained at the scene after the fire was extinguished, trying to determine what sparked the deadly blaze.
Chile’s Organized Crime and Homicide Team, along with the Carabineros Criminalistics Laboratory and OS-9 personnel, are involved in the investigation.
A prosecutor said there were roughly 26 adults at the facility at the time of the fire.
Authorities also said not everyone living there was elderly.
One nursing assistant was reportedly responsible for those inside when the fire broke out.
Investigators are now questioning people connected to the facility to determine the conditions residents were living in and whether the home had the proper permits to operate.
Officials have not yet announced a cause for the fire.
The investigation remains ongoing
