KIEV, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and five others injured in a fire on Thursday in a two-story building converted into a private nursing home in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, the press service of Ukrainian State Service for Emergencies reported on Thursday.

The fire broke out at 15:03 local time and covered an area of about 100 square meters. After about two hours, the fire was extinguished. 50 employees of the State Emergency Service and 13 pieces of equipment were involved in the fight against the fire.

The bodies of 15 people were found at the scene of the tragedy. Nine more people were rescued, five of whom were hospitalized. The state of the victims has not yet been reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the fire a terrible tragedy on his official Twitter and instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to urgently address the situation.

The preliminary cause of the fire is the violation of the safety regulations, according to Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called for an extraordinary governmental meeting to set up a state commission to investigate the cause of the tragedy. The fire was classified as a state-level emergency. Enditem

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