‘Happened very fast’: At least 10 killed, 11 injured in Brazil fire
Al Jazeera
Forensic experts in Porto Alegre are working to determine the cause of the blaze and identify the victims.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, officials said.
Emergency workers on Friday confirmed 10 victims at the Garoa Floresta, which was operating without proper authorisation, according to the fire department for Rio Grande do Sul state.
The fire broke out around 2am local time (05:00 GMT), officials said. It took firefighters around three hours to bring it under control.
“Forensic experts are at the scene to identify the victims and investigate the cause of the fire,” the fire department said in a statement.
Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastiao Melo wrote on X that multiple injured people were rescued and taken to the hospital, but did not say how many. Local media reports put the number of injured at 11, some in serious condition.
