Patriarch Bartholomew visits Balıklı Rum hospital after fire

Photo: AA

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew yesterday (August 5) visited a historical hospital in İstanbul, where a fire broke out a day before.

Officials briefed Bartholomew about the damage caused by the fire in the Balıklı Rum Hospital, which is operated by Türkiye's Rum minority.

Ömer Arısoy, the mayor of Zeytinburnu district where the hospital is located, said the preliminary assessment shows that the building did not suffer any major damage.

"Even though simple renovations and repairs are needed in the building, there is no problem in the load-bearing elements," Arısoy said.

Some parts of the building, especially the roof, were gutted by the fire, he said.

A municipality team of 40 people is currently working to clear the debris, the mayor added.

After the fire broke out and engulfed the roof of the hospital, some 80 patients, mostly elderly people, were shifted to a nearby health care institution.

The cause is still unknown and no one was injured, according to officials from the İstanbul Governor's Office. (VK)