At least 32 killed as fire engulfs drug rehabilitation center in northern Iran

TEHRAN, Iran

A massive fire incident at a drug rehabilitation facility in northern Iran's Gilan province has resulted in the death of at least 32 people, according to state media.

At least 16 others were also injured in the incident and transferred to a local hospital, Mohammad Jalai, deputy governor of Gilan, was quoted as saying by state-run IRNA news agency on Friday.

The incident happened at 5:45 a.m. local time Friday at a rehabilitation center in Langerood, a mountainous city in Gilan, 340 kilometers (211 miles) from the capital Tehran.

Some sections of Iranian media, citing the preliminary investigation, said a heater at the rehabilitation center caused the fire that rapidly engulfed the entire center.

To combat the menace of drug addiction, Iran has built a strong counter-narcotics force in recent years and has even executed people found involved in drug trafficking.

However, the addiction to drugs within Iran, according to experts, remains a big challenge for the government.

"Drug trafficking is a major issue due to Iran's geographic location, nestled between Afghanistan and Europe, but the consumption of drugs by Iranian youth also points to a major challenge in counter-narcotics campaign," Behrouz Hashemi, a counter-narcotics activist told Anadolu.