Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16 residents

What the report says

At least 16 elderly residents died after a fire broke out at the El Edén nursing home in Chile, according to authorities cited by BBC World News. Ten other residents were evacuated from the facility, which is in the Araucanía region in central Chile, about 640 km south of Santiago. The blaze started on Friday evening and was still being dealt with by firefighters into Saturday morning.

A prosecutor leading the investigation said it was not yet clear what caused the fire. Local officials and police remained at the scene on Saturday as crews cleared debris and worked around collapsed roofing. The case is being examined by Chilean authorities, with the focus on how the fire began and whether any warning signs or safety failures were missed.

President José Antonio Kast said he had ordered a review of nursing homes across the country and that the government would cooperate with the justice system to establish what happened. He said the aim was to identify any gaps in oversight or prevention and reduce the risk of a similar tragedy. Local Mayor Jacqueline Romero said the community was deeply saddened and that support was being offered to families affected by the disaster.