Burundi Prison Fire Kills 38 People

In Burundi, there was a major fire in a prison located in the capital, Gitega. “Fire in the central prison of Gitega: 38 died, including 12 from suffocation, 69 were seriously injured,” – it says in a tweet from local Iwacu.

The fire in the prison, which contains at least a thousand prisoners, began at about 04:00 (05:00 Moscow time). The fire spread throughout the prison blocks where male prisoners are held. The fire did not reach the women’s block, the newspaper notes.

Red Cross officers and firefighters arrived at the scene. The roads leading to the prison were blocked by the police and the military.

In August, there was already a fire in this penitentiary. It started with a short circuit.