August 08, 2014
Arson at an Iranian prison has killed 11 inmates, the Judiciary announced Tuesday.
A fire broke out Monday in the prison in Shahr-e Kord, the capital of Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari province in the far south, killing 11 prisoners through suffocation before being brought under control, Abdullah Musavi, a judiciary official, told the state news agency.
Iran’s head penal official, Asghar Jahangir, said the fire was caused by arson and an investigation is underway. “Cameras have recorded when the fire broke out in the prison and it was started by an individual intentionally,” he told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). “He survived and has been detected.”
However, the opposition Saham website gave an entirely different account of the fire. It said prisoners protesting “miserable living conditions” had set fire to clothes and mattresses in an expression of anger and that guards had locked the prison gates, obstructing firefighters and ambulance personnel who had arrived when told of the fire.
Iranian news outlets said 14 people were also hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the fire.