A fire at a nursing home in Chile has killed 16 elderly residents and left 10 others hospitalised, according to local authorities.

The fire began on Friday night at the single-story care home in the Araucanía region, 640 kilometers south of the capital Santiago, and was extinguished earlier today.

Images shared on social media showed flames rising above the building in the darkness, while a fire truck sprayed water to tackle the flames.

“We express our sorrow and dismay at the deaths of 16 elderly people in this tragedy,” authorities in the municipality of Pitrufquén said in a statement.

A total of 26 elderly residents were in the nursing home, ten of them survived and were taken to the local hospital.

Firefighters continued to clear debris throughout the day and removed collapsed corrugated metal roofing.

“It is a situation that fills our souls with great sorrow and pain. We have been… providing support to the families,” said local mayor Jacqueline Romero, who added that municipal health and public safety teams, firefighters and police were deployed.

“We are currently carrying out investigative procedures, including examining the scene and conducting inquiries, to determine the origin and cause of the fire, as well as to rule out third-party involvement,” Jorge Granada, the prosecutor assigned to the case, told local media.

The owners of the private care home were summoned to give statements.

An official at the regional health secretariat said there had been previous operational problems at the care home.

“It was an unregulated facility, it had faced administrative proceedings and fines since 2019, and was a repeat offender,” a local official said.

“In February, the municipality had sent a letter specifically calling for an inspection because the facility was not in compliance with regulations – it was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings,” the official added.

On his X account, Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast demanded that the truth be uncovered and “necessary corrections be made to do everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again”.

He said he had ordered “urgent measures” to review conditions at nursing homes across the country.