World

Sixth person dead after Sydney nursing home blaze

19:37 pm on 20 November 2011

A sixth person has died as a result of Friday's fire at a Sydney nursing home.

The police have confirmed a 79-year-old woman died on Sunday morning.

A 35-year-old nurse, Roger Dean, has been charged with the murder of four of the residents at the Quakers Hill home.

The police say investigations are continuing and they expect further charges to be laid.

Several people are still in a critical condition in Sydney hospitals.

The dead who have been named are: Ella Wood, 97, Alma Smith, 73, and Lola Bennett, 86. Police say the other three are yet to be identified.

Police in Sydney refuse to confirm whether or not they spoke to the accused several hours before the fire.

There are reports he was forced to leave his previous employment and had been spoken to by police officers.

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has asked for a report by Monday about police checks on staff in the state's nursing homes.

Mr O'Farrell has described the deaths as "a terrible tragedy".