Iranian Judiciary Scrutinizing Operators After Fire At Drug Addiction Center Kills 32, Injures 16

The gutted addiction center is reported to have been able to hold around 40 people.

The Prosecutor's Office in the northern Iranian province of Gilan said on November 3 that 32 people have been killed and 16 more injured following a huge fire at a drug rehabilitation center in the city of Langrod.

The judiciary did not say what caused the blaze, but first responders were said to have been called shortly before 6 a.m. local time.

It also hinted at an investigation into possible wrongdoing on the part of the facilities' operators.

"Center managers and officials who had duties in this facility" are under scrutiny, the judiciary said.

The Meezan news agency, which is affiliated with the judiciary, has reported that the center's capacity is about 40 people.

But there was no immediate information about how many patients were being housed at the facility.

Critics say past incidents have highlighted risks at neglected addiction treatment centers in Iran.

Iran is one of the world's leading executioners, and rights activists have recently warned that death sentences have nearly tripled this year for drug-related offenses in a system where trials are frequently stacked against defendants, especially those from marginalized segments of society.

Iran's clerical leadership traditionally takes a hard line on addiction, with longer-running abuses of opium and cannabis compounded in recent years by heroin, ecstasy, and crystal methamphetamine use.