A fire at a Romanian hospital treating COVID-19 patients killed 10 people and critically injured seven others, authorities said on Saturday.

The blaze spread through the intensive care ward designated for COVID-19 patients at the public hospital in the northern city of Piatra Neamt.

Irina Popa, the spokeswoman for the local Emergency Situations Inspectorate, said all but one of the dead or injured were hospital patients. Eight of the victims died in the flames and two others were pronounced dead after being evacuated from the hospital.

Romanian Health Minister Nelu Tataru told local media the fire was "most likely triggered by a short circuit."

Piatra Neamt is about 353 kilometers (219 miles) north of Romania's capital, Bucharest.

Prosecutors said they would open an investigation to determine how the blaze started.

It is the country's biggest since a 2015 fire at a nightclub in Bucharest that killed 65 people.

Romania has reported 353,185 coronavirus cases and 8,813 deaths.

Just under 13,000 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized across Romania on Saturday, including 1,172 in intensive care units.

jf/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)