Prison Fire Kills at Least 27 in Iran

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 31, 2002

Prison Fire Kills at Least 27 in Iran

A prison fire killed at least 27 inmates and injured 50 others Monday morning in Iran's northeastern city of Gorgan, the official IRNA news agency has confirmed.

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A prison fire killed at least 27 inmates and injured 50 others Monday morning in Iran's northeastern city of Gorgan, the official IRNA news agency has confirmed.

The confirmation came after an initial investigation by provincial officials of Golestan, which is on the Caspian Sea.

The fire broke out at 03:20 local time (2350 GMT) Sunday inside a prison of Gorgan, capital of the Golestan province.

The probe "indicated that the incident was caused by a short circuit," said provincial prison official Abbasali Arab.

"Unfortunately, 27 prisoners were killed and 50 others injured in the incident," he was quoted as saying.

The victims were local convicts aged between 20 and 69, IRNA said, adding the injured were taken to hospitals in nearby cities of the province.

Hossein Rafati, head of the political and police affairs of the Golestan governor's office, deplored the fire-induced "heavy human and property loss," IRNA said.

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