At least seven killed in fire at prison in northern Syria

Inmates rioted following protests in the city of Kobane over the killing of a former Kurdish fighter, state media reports. At least seven inmates have been killed and others injured after a fire broke out at a prison in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria. The fire started when inmates at a jail in Kobane rioted over tensions that had erupted in the town on Friday, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported on Saturday. However, the cause of the blaze is yet to be officially confirmed. “Dozens were injured, burned or suffocated following a riot,” state TV reported. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the riot began overnight after authorities decided to transfer some inmates to another facility in Aleppo.

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