At least six residents died in an overnight blaze at a boarding-house for low-income families in Kysucke Nove Mesto in central Slovakia, reports said Friday, according to dpa. Several residents were taken to hospital, three in serious condition, Slovak and Czech press reports said. Five people remained missing, TA3 news channel reported. Police said 64 people were evacuated at night from the boarding house the town had built for poor families. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. Some of the building's Roma residents alleged that racism was behind the fire, Pravda daily reported on its website. However, the authorities rejected the claims.
