4 dead in hospital fire in northern Germany

Four people have died after a fire in a hospital in the northern German town of Uelzen on Thursday evening, police said on Friday. The cause of the fire remains unknown, reported Xinhua.

Three people died at the scene, while a fourth person died after being taken to another hospital. All four people were patients at the hospital that caught fire, German media reported. More than 20 people were injured, eight of them seriously.

"This is a tragic, shocking event," said Christine Arbogast, state secretary at the Lower Saxony ministry for social affairs, labor, health and equality. Ensuring the safety of the hospital's patients "now has top priority."

Local police said that "rapid intervention prevented the fire from spreading." Initial estimates put the total damage from the blaze at over one million euros (1.09 million U.S. dollars).

In reaction to the incident, the German Foundation for Patient Rights (DSP) spoke out in favor of sprinkler systems in hospitals. "Even furniture stores and warehouses in this country have a better fire protection standard than hospitals," a DSP board member told the German press agency dpa.

Before Christmas, two people died in a fire in a hospital in southern Germany. According to media reports, the fire was caused by a cigarette, but the investigation into the incident is still ongoing.