Wednesday, three coronavirus patients were killed and at least eight others were injured after a fire broke out at a Russian hospital designated to treat COVID-19 patients, the authorities said.

The fire broke out at an Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in the central Russian city of Ryazan at around 3:36am local time and was fully put out within an hour, according to the Russian News Agency (TASS).

According to the region's governor, Nikolai Lyubimov, a ventilator in the ward had overheated and caught fire.

Investigations into the cause of fire are currently underway.