Turkish Prison Fire Kills 13 Inmates After Beds Set Alight

A fire in a jail in southeastern Turkey killed 13 people after inmates protested prison conditions by setting fire to beds and blankets.

The government is investigating the incident at the E-Type prison in the province of Sanliurfa, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.

Five people were injured in the fire, Anatolia said. Initial investigations showed rescue workers were unable to reach the floor of the jail where the prisoners died because protesters had blocked a stairwell with beds, Ergin said.

Protests at the jail are continuing with inmates shouting slogans, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Prisoners included Kurdish member of parliament Ibrahim Ayhan, jailed during arrests of suspected supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Hurriyet said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Bentley in Istanbul at mbentley3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Riad Hamade at rhamade@bloomberg.net