At least 26 killed in Peru drug rehab centre fire

Peru: A fire swept through a drug rehabilitation center in a densely populated area of Lima Saturday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 12 others who were trapped inside, authorities said. The iron doors to the “Christ is Love” center were locked, trapping many of the residents inside, said Fire Department commandant Antonio Zavala, explaining the high death toll.

Some escaped the inferno by jumping from the burning building's second floor.

“I could just see smoke and hear screams,” one survivor who leapt from the building's second floor told RPP radio.

Zavala said the blaze broke out on the first floor of the center when a patient's mattress caught fire. Officials said it may have been set alight during a fight among residents of the rehab center.

“So far we have information that 22 people died at the scene,” said Health Minister Alberto Tejada, adding that four others died after being taken to hospitals.

At least three of the injured were in “very, very serious” condition, a Health Ministry official, Javier Correa, said.

Paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene in Lima's San Juan de Lurigancho neighborhood, and began ferrying the injured to hospitals in ambulances and patrol cars, the Health Ministry said.

Those who died in the fire were laid out on the ground outside the center, quickly becoming the focus of emotional scenes as distraught relatives arrived to identify their loved ones.

Asked whether the center had a permit to operate, Tejada said, “apparently, it is not official.” “We are investigating. We are going to look at this circumstance after the fact, because the work is still underway to put out this lamentable incident,” he said.

AFP