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25 killed after fire at Azerbaijan drug treatment facility

FATAL: Firefighters battle the fire Picture: APA TV via AP
FATAL: Firefighters battle the fire Picture: APA TV via AP FATAL: Firefighters battle the fire Picture: APA TV via AP

At least 25 people have been killed in a fire at a residential drug treatment centre in Azerbaijan's capital.

Police and prosecutors said it took three hours to extinguish the fire, which broke out at 6am local time (2am GMT) in Baku.

An electrical short circuit is believed to have caused the blaze at the clinic, which occupies an old, one-storey wooden building.

Azerbaijan's health ministry said 34 people have been rescued from the building and 200 patients and staff members were evacuated. Three people were taken to hospital.

The office of the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev said he had arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue effort, and ordered an investigation.