• Fire at an Iranian drug rehab facility claimed dozens of lives.
• The tragic incident occurred early on Friday in Langarud.
• This figure was nearly three times higher than in the same period the previous year.

A devastating fire at a drug rehabilitation center in northern Iran has claimed the lives of at least 32 individuals, according to authorities.

The tragic incident occurred early on Friday in Langarud, a city situated in the Caspian Sea province of Gilan, located north of Tehran. Esmail Sadeghi, a provincial chief justice, reported that 16 others were rushed to the hospital.

Iran implements the death penalty for repeat drug smugglers and dealers but simultaneously operates various rehabilitation programs for addicts.

The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, but Sadeghi mentioned that an investigation was underway, as indicated by local reports. The facility could accommodate up to 40 individuals.

Footage of the fire, shared by Isna, a semi-official Iranian news agency, displayed the blaze illuminating the night sky, with vast plumes of smoke billowing into the air. Subsequent images depicted the severely damaged site following the containment of the fire.

Iran is known to have the highest per-capita number of opioid addicts globally and is situated along a significant smuggling route for opium originating in Afghanistan.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report for 2020, Iran was responsible for 47% of global heroin and morphine seizures linked to Afghanistan.

Amnesty International issued a report in June, revealing that Iran had executed a minimum of 173 individuals convicted of drug-related offenses this year, following “systematically unfair trials.”

According to the rights group, this figure was nearly three times higher than in the same period the previous year.

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