Fire breaks out at prison in Istanbul, leaves 20 inmates and 1 guard hospitalised
India Today
Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter on Friday that the fire which broke out in Istanbul prison was extinguished and none of those hospitalised were in serious condition.
A fire broke out at a prison in Istanbul on Friday, leaving 20 inmates and one prison warden hospitalised for smoke inhalation, Turkey's justice minister said.
There was no information on the cause of the blaze in Umraniye prison, on the Asian side of the city.
Prison inmates in Turkey have set mattresses and other bedding alight in the past to protest detention conditions.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter that the fire was extinguished and none of those hospitalised were in serious condition.
“Everything has been brought under control,” he said.
Several firetrucks, including from neighbouring districts, were dispatched to the prison, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
According to HaberTurk broadcaster, prison personnel initially tried to douse a fire that broke out in one of the wards, but were forced to call firefighters after it grew out of their control. The inmates were evacuated to another confinement area, it said.
