A fire at a nursing home for patients with Alzheimer's disease in the Czech Republic has left two people dead and more than 50 others injured. Regional emergency services say two people are in a critical condition.

"Firefighters, unfortunately, found two people dead," the regional emergency service posted on Twitter.

Jan Jakob, the town's mayor, said the incident was a "major catastrophe" and posted a picture of the scene, expressing his thanks to emergency services for their response.

What we know about the fire

The blaze broke out at the nursing facility on Wednesday in Roztoky, a town situated north of the capital city, Prague.

Around 100 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the blaze, including two helicopters.

According to emergency services,  56 people were evacuated from the burning building, which houses patients with Alzheimer's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disease. 

Emergency personnel had to rescue residents from their rooms using ladders. A number of those evacuated were bedridden and were taken to nearby hospitals for medical treatment. Upon searching the building, the bodies of two people were discovered.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

kb/sms (dpa, AFP)