¡¡  MOSCOW, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A fire broke out at a hospital for mentally ill early on Thursday outside Moscow, killing seven people and injuring 12 others, officials said.

    Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman viktor Beltsov said 53 patients and two staff members were inside the two-storey hospitalat the village of Dmitrovsky Pogost 150 km southeast of Moscow when fire started around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT).

    "Seven people died and 12 people have sustained burns," said the spokesman.

    The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Enditem