President Pellegrini Laments Tragic Fire in Velky Saris That Killed 4 Children

Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - The death of anyone is a tragedy, but the heartbreaking loss of four young children is especially devastating, said President Peter Pellegrini on social media on Thursday in response to the tragic overnight fire in Velky Saris (Presov regoion), which claimed the lives of five people, of which four were children. "I regret the conditions in which many children still live in a developed country in the 21st century. These conditions provide the foundation for such tragedies. I believe that the government and local authorities will do everything they can to ease the suffering of the survivors, and I offer my sincere condolences to them," said the president. The fire broke out after 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, and firefighters managed to extinguish it before 3 a.m. "While battling the fire, they also searched for people who might have been inside one of the housing units. Once the fire was under control, five people were found in the building, all showing no signs of life," the firefighters stated. A preliminary estimate of the damage caused by the fire has been set at €12,000. The police have launched a criminal investigation into manslaughter in connection with the tragedy. Velky Saris has declared a state of emergency in response to the blaze, which affected approximately 30 people. lin/df