Iran: 32 Killed and 17 Injured in Fire at Rehabilitation Center

On Friday, at least 32 people were killed and 17 others injured in a fire in the northern Iranian province of Gilan, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

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The fire erupted in the early morning hours at a rehabilitation center in Langarud County, said Mohammad Jalaei, deputy governor of Gilan for Political, Security and Social Affairs.

He noted that four of the injured were intubated, and the rest were in better condition, putting the center's capacity for patients at 40.

Iran's Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei has ordered a full investigation into the incident, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The cause of the fire will be announced after accurate examinations by experts, Tasnim quoted Esmaeil Sadeqi-Niaraki, the head of Gilan's justice department, as saying.

Sadeqi-Niaraki said the necessary judicial orders had been issued, adding that the rehabilitation center's management was under surveillance and its head had been detained. He added that all the injured had been transferred to the hospital.

"Such accidents are not rare in Iran, mainly because of the disregarding of safety measures, aging facilities and inadequate emergency services," Iran Wire commented.

"Iran has one of the severest addiction problems in the world, according to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. The country lies on the main trafficking route for poppy, the source of opium and heroin, from Afghanistan to Western Europe," it added.