Major fire breaks out in rehabilitation center in northern Iran, 27 people killed

The fire broke out early Friday in the town of Langrud in the Caspian Sea province of Gilan, north of Tehran. Provincial Chief Justice Ismail Sadeghi told local media that 16 other people were taken to hospital. Iran frequently imposes the death penalty on drug smugglers and dealers but runs a series of rehabilitation programs for drug addicts. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, according to local reports, but Mr Sadeghi said the investigation was ongoing. A maximum of 40 people can stay in the centre.

The semi-official Iranian news agency Isna shared footage of the fire, which lit up the sky and sent huge plumes of smoke into the air. Other images show the heavily damaged site after the fire was brought under control. Iran is estimated to have the highest number of opioid addicts per capita in the world and is on a major smuggling route for opium grown in Afghanistan. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report this year said Iran accounted for 47% of global heroin and morphine seizures from Afghanistan during 2020.

Iran has executed at least 173 people convicted of drug-related crimes this year following systematically unfair trials, Amnesty International said in a June report. Dhikr Group said this figure was almost three times higher than last year.