Fire kills 23 at Russian mental illness home

A fire at a psychiatric hospital in southern Russia killed 23 people, the country's emergencies ministry said on Sunday, and 51 were rescued.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire at the facility in the Voronezh region, about 600 kilometers (350 miles) south of Moscow.

Russian news reports say all of those who died were patients.

The emergency services say that of the 51 people rescued, 23 were hospitalised. Rescuers found 19 bodies after the fire was extinguished at about 3am (0000 GMT) Sunday, and two others died at medical facilities.