Northern Romania: Investigation into Piatra Neamţ hospital fire ongoing

Investigators working on the case of the November 14 fire at the Piatra Neamţ County Hospital, in northeastern Romania, have seized documents meant to help determine the causes of the accident, the medical unit announced.

The prosecutors opened an investigation after ten Covid-19 patients admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit died in the fire. Seven other people were severely injured, including a doctor who tried to save some of the patients. The ten victims were aged 67 to 86.

Lucian Micu, the manager of the Piatra Neamţ County Hospital, and doctor Liviu Ungureanu, the head of the intensive care unit, were among the first heard in the case, sources told G4media.ro.

The investigation is led by prosecutor Marius Iacob, who also dealt with the case of the 2015 Colectiv club fire in Bucharest.

On Sunday, November 15, the Public Health Department (DSP) of Neamţ county announced that the hospital reconfigured its intensive care unit and moved the Covid-19 patients from the unit's third floor to the second floor without requesting approval from DSP. The changes were made on November 14, without the DSP approval, the institution said. However, the hospital's manager said that both floors were used for intensive care patients and had the required DSP approval. Ionel Arsene, the president of the Neamţ County Council, also said that both intensive care units had the DSP approval, News.ro reported.

On Monday, November 16, health minister Nelu Tătaru said 11 intensive care unit beds would be available at the Piatra Neamţ hospital starting Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The hospital will receive two more intensive care unit beds if the situation calls for its, he said, quoted by News.ro.

Various foreign embassies in the country or EU institutions sent messages of condolences after the fire. Stella Kyriakidou, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and Israel president Reuven Rivlin were among those offering condolences. Meanwhile, Pope Francis prayed for the Piatra Neamţ victims during Sunday's Angelus prayer, Vaticannews.va reported.