3 people die in a residential building fire in Rustavi, Georgia

Three people have died following a fire in a five-storey residential building in the eastern Georgian city of Rustavi.

In a statement this morning, the Interior Ministry said that the fire started in one of the flats and spread across the entire building at the Megobroba Street.

Alongside fire-fighting efforts, rescue officers evacuated the building and took 25 people, including minors, to safety. Three people could not be saved.

"Despite the high concentration of smoke and bad visibility, up to 20 firefighters of the emergency management agency under the Interior Ministry managed to localise and liquidate the fire in the shortest possible time”, the ministry said in a statement.

An investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the fire.