Fire outbreak in Azerbaijani drug abuse treatment center kills 24 people

13:01, 02.03.2018

A strong fire has ripped through the Republican Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Baku, killing 24 people, according to a joint statement of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health.

The fire broke out at the center’s one-storey wooden structure at 06.10 local time. Fire and special risky rescue crews of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, police units and medical staff were rushed to the scene.

The statement said 31 out of 55 people who were in the building were rescued. Three people were taken to hospital. The fire was extinguished at 08.30 local time.

Under the instruction of the president of Azerbaijan, the Prosecutor’s General Office initiated a criminal case, and an investigative team consisting of experienced officers of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations was set up.

According to preliminary investigation, the fire was caused by a short circuit in the building’s electrical network.

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Baku

drug abuse treatment center

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