Nurses held over 'induced deaths' at Uruguay hospital

Two male nurses have been detained in Uruguay over dozens of suspected induced deaths at two hospitals in the capital Montevideo, police say.

They say the men - aged 49 and 36 - were held following a two-month police investigation.

The alleged killings took place in the cardiology unit of the Maciel Hospital and in the intensive care unit of the Spanish Mutual Care.

Some reports say the suspects had cited "humanitarian reasons".
'Psychopathic behaviour'

The names of the two nurses - who were apparently not working together - have not been released.

Up to 50 people could have been killed through a combination of administered medication and other procedures, reports in Uruguay's media suggest.
Police inspector Jose Luis Roldan said poison from Brazil had been used on patients who were in critical condition, the Associated Press news agency reports.

However, investigators believe that not all the victims were terminally ill.

A spokesperson for one of the hospitals involved said that the deaths were the consequence of "psychopathic behaviour" and not common practice at the medical institution, the BBC's Vladimir Hernandez reports.

Forensic studies are still being carried out and the results could take several days, our correspondent adds.

Uruguay's health ministry has so far made no public comment on the case.