38 Die in Mental Hospital: Blaze Leads to Speculation of Abusing Patients Through Heavy Sedation and Restraints

A fire claimed the lives of 38 individuals Friday, many of whom were still lying in their beds, at a psychiatric hospital in Russia, according to Rueters.

The tragedy is prompting questions about the quality of care mentally-ill patients are receiving in Russia.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. local time, 6 p.m. EST, and blazed through a one-story building of the mental hospital. By the next morning the roof of the hospital, located in Ramensky which is 70 miles outside of Moscow, had collapsed and bodies were spread across the grass.

The hospitals consisted of brick and wood huts covered by barred windows.

Only three people escaped the blaze, which leads to suspicions of heavy sedation. It also prompts speculation concerning whether or not the patients were strapped to their beds.

Irina Gumennaya, aide to the head of the chief investigative department of the Moscow region, said any accusations that the patients were strapped down are “rubbish.” However, she did say that blood tests would be performed in order to learn if the patients were highly sedated.

"The wards ... did not have doors, the sick could have escaped from the building by themselves," she said.

Gumennaya said the blaze was probably due to a short circuit or a patient smoking. In a time where Russia has had an atrocious record of safety in its country, the blaze does not bode well for the country.

President Vladimir Putin called the incident a “tragedy” and commanded an investigation to look into the situation.

Some psychiatrists said a fire was far from unprecedented and would most likely happen again.

"(This happened) because of dilapidated buildings in psychiatric hospitals - a third of the buildings since 2000 have been declared unfit, according to health standards," president of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia Yuri Savenko.

Also, junior and middle-ranking staff are paid poorly and “because of the that the staff were asleep.”

Officials said the fire spread too fast and didn't allow firefighters an opportunity to put it out in time.

However, local community members disagree.

"Don't trust anyone who says they (firemen) arrived quickly ... My wife woke me up, we went out on the street with our daughter. Flames were rising high," said one man.

Over 12,000 people died in fires in 2011 and over 7,700 people died in fires during the first nine months on 2012 in Russia. The country has a significantly higher per capita death rate than countries in the west, including the United States.

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