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Iran: Evin prison death toll jump, state says
The death toll from a fire at Iran's notorious Evin prison has risen from four to eight, Iran's judiciary has said in a statement.
Officials said dozens more were injured in the blaze at the jail in Tehran on Saturday night. Hundreds of those taking part in anti-government protests which have swept the country for the past month have been sent to Evin prison.
It is not clear whether the incident at the jail was connected to the unrest.
The judiciary said the fire began in a prison workshop after a fight among inmates. State TV said it was a “premeditated” escape plan, which the head of prisons in Tehran said was foiled by the security forces. However, a witness inside the prison told BBC Persian that prisoners had not set fire to the site