• Eight of those who died at the Fukuoka hospital were patients
  • The cause of the fire, which destroyed much of the building, is unknown
  • One resident said she could hear people inside the hospital shouting 'help'

By Steve Nolan

PUBLISHED: 23:41 EST, 10 October 2013 | UPDATED: 23:42 EST, 10 October 2013


A fire at a hospital in southern Japan has killed ten people and left eight others injured.

The blaze broke out at an orthopaedic hospital in the city of Fukuoka while patients were asleep.

Officials said that eight of those who died were patients and two were staff at the hospital.

Tragic: Fire crews pictured tackling a fire that broke out at an orthopaedic hospital in Japan. Ten people were killed

Tragic: Fire crews pictured tackling a fire that broke out at an orthopaedic hospital in Japan. Ten people were killed

Serious: njuries: Emergency crews rush an injured person to hospital following the fire. Several people are said to be in a serious condition

Serious injuries: Emergency crews rush an injured person to hospital following the fire. Several people are said to be in a serious condition

Several of those who were hurt are said to be in a serious condition.

Reports claim that witnesses saw emergency crews attempting to revive several of the patients outside the hospital.

Media reports say a total of 18 people were at the hospital at the time of the fire, which has since been extinguished.

Police said the fire started from the first floor of the four-storey building, but the cause is still under investigation.

Most of the building was destroyed in the blaze.

Horrific: An injured person is helped down from the first floor of the hospital by a firefighter, left, while a firefighter inspects the charred remains of the building once the blaze is out, right

Many of the patients admitted to the hospital, which is in a queit residential area in the city, are said to be elderly.

According to the Japan Daily Press, one local resident, a 43-year old woman, said she heard cries of help at the time of the incident. 

The fire reportedly started at around 2.20am and took fire crews around two and a half hours to put out.

There was no sign of an initial fire extinguishing effort at the hospital and fireproof doors on the second and third floors were not properly used, according to an unidentified fire department official.

Extensive damage: This picture shows the first floor of the hospital, much of which was destroyed in the fire

Extensive damage: This picture shows the first floor of the hospital, much of which was destroyed in the fire