At least 9 killed in hospital fire in northern Iran

Shafaq News/ A fire that broke out in a hospital in the northern Iranian city of Rasht has resulted in the deaths of at least nine people, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

The blaze, which is now under control, erupted at 1:30 a.m. local time at a hospital in the capital of Gilan province. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

Mohammad Taghi Ashoobi, the president of Gilan University of Medical Sciences, told state television, "Nine people lost their lives in this fire."

The hospital has a capacity of 250 beds, of which 142 were occupied at the time of the incident, according to the same source.

In November 2023, a massive fire destroyed a drug rehabilitation center in the town of Langarud in the same province, killing 32 people.