16 Elderly Residents Killed in Nursing Home Blaze in Manado

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

A devastating fire tore through the Werdha Damai retirement home in Manado, North Sulawesi, on the night of Sunday, December 28, 2025, claiming the lives of 16 elderly residents. The blaze broke out at approximately 20:30 local time while most of the home’s 32 residents were asleep or resting for the evening. In the panic that followed, local neighbors and passersby used ladders and tables to pull survivors from the rear of the single-story building as it was engulfed in flames in less than five minutes.

Despite these heroic efforts, 15 of the victims were tragically burned beyond recognition, while one additional body was recovered intact. Another three residents sustained severe burns and are currently receiving treatment at local hospitals. This incident marks the second major fire tragedy in Indonesia this month, following an office building inferno in Jakarta that killed 22 people, raising urgent questions regarding safety standards and emergency infrastructure in the country’s residential care facilities.