Two women at a retirement and nursing home in northern Germany were killed in a fire, police said on Thursday.
The women were aged 95 and 89. Three other elderly residents suffered serious injuries, with one of them in life-threatening condition. None of the employees at the facility near Bremen were injured.
There were no clues so far as to what sparked the blaze, said a police spokesman.
An employee of the home in Oyten discovered smoke shortly after midnight. She dialled the emergency number and arranged for the more than 60 people living in the home to be woken up.
The residents, some of whom were bedridden, were rushed outside in wheelchairs - some with the help of fire engine ladders and through the windows.
More than 100 firefighters extinguished the flames and prevented the fire from spreading. In addition to the police and fire brigade, 29 ambulances and seven emergency doctors were deployed.
One room was completely destroyed, but the rest of the building mainly suffered smoke damage. The facility, in which 62 people had been living, is unusable for the time being.