Fire kills 24 at drug treatment centre in Azerbaijan capital

A fire has killed at least 24 people in a drug abuse treatment centre in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, according to a joint statement by the Azerbaijan government.

Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have issued the statement about the fire that broke out at the Republican Drug Abuse Treatment Centre around 6:10am (local time) Thursday.

The State Fire Protection Service sent fire-fighters to the scene. The Ministry of Education also sent a medical team to provide first aid.

The Interior Ministry’s detached police regiment as well as Khatai district police ensured protection of the area for rescuers to operate uninterrupted, reports Azeri News Agency APA.

A firefighter carrying fire hoses walks near the scene of a fire which broke out in a drug abuse treatment centre in Baku, Azerbaijan Mar 2, 2018. Reuters

As a result of the operative measures taken, 31 out of 55 people were rescued from the building. Three of them were placed at the Republican Toxicology Centre of the Ministry of Health.

The fire was extinguished at 9.13am. The bodies of 24 people were found during the inspection of the scene,

The Prosecutor's General Office has initiated a criminal case following instruction of the president of Azerbaijan.

An investigative team has been set up with officers of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, according to the APA report. 

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