At least six people have died and more than 30 are missing after a fire swept through a psychiatric hospital in north-western Russia, officials say.

The blaze occurred in the village of Luka, in Novgorod region. The wooden hospital housed some 60 people.

The fire broke out just before 03:00 local time (23:00 GMT Thursday).

Footage showed firefighters at the scene of the blaze

It may have been started by one of the patients, reports say. Officials had previously ordered the building to be closed among safety concerns.

The fire started in the male ward and spread quickly through the single-storey Oksochi hospital, emergency ministry officials say. TV pictures later showed the gutted building.

"Medical personnel saw a patient who was shrouded in flames. It's possible that he was smoking in bed and the mattress caught fire," regional governor Sergei Mitin told Russia's Interfax news agency.

He added that the ward housed severely ill patients.

(Source: BBC)