At approximately 04:00
CAT
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
on 7 December 2021, a fire broke out in an overcrowded prison in
Gitega
Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura (the largest city and former political capital), Gitega (the second largest city) ...
,
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
, killing at least 38 and injuring more than 69.
Background
Overcrowding
Overcrowding or crowding is the condition where more people are located within a given space than is considered tolerable from a safety and health perspective. Safety and health perspectives depend on current environments and on local cultural n ...
is a major problem in Burundi prisons where, according to October figures, 13,100 inmates live in facilities designed to accommodate no more than 4,100 people.
In June, over 5000 inmates received presidential pardons in an attempt to empty the country's overcrowded jails.
According to the Christian Association Against Torture, the prison had the capacity for 400 prisoners, but at the time of the fire it held 1,539 inmates.
Most of the inmates were males, however, it had a women's wing as well. It also housed several political prisoners in a high security compound. Earlier in August, a fire broke out in the same prison, which the authorities blamed on electrical problems.
Accident
The blaze started at 04:00
CAT
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
time (02:00
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a cons ...
) on 7 December 2021 while many of the inmates were asleep. The Interior Ministry stated in a
tweet that a short circuit was responsible for the fire. According to the survivors, the police refused to open the quarters as the flames spread.
According to one of the inmates, over 90% of the sleeping halls were burnt.
Images circulating online showed a burning building and piles of bodies.
A police source stated that emergency services arrived late with the fire truck reaching the prison two hours after the fire began.
Nurses from the Gitega hospital, as well as teams from the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, arrived at the scene to tend to the victims. Those with minor injuries were treated at the scene, while those with severe burns were taken to a hospital.
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
Prosper Bazombanza
Prosper Bazombanza (born 1959/1960) is a Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is ...
told reporters that 38 people died in the fire.
Of these, twelve died of
asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
as they attempted to flee the burning building and 26 more died of severe injuries. Many of the victims were elderly inmates.
He added that at least 69 were injured.
Aftermath
Vice President Bazombanza, along with several senior ministers visited the scene of the accident.
According to witness reports, soldiers and police officers surrounded the site of the fire, preventing journalists from approaching and taking pictures.
See also
*
Tangerang prison fire
The Tangerang prison fire was a fire that occurred in an overcrowded prison block in the city of Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, in Greater Jakarta. The fire began at about on 8 September 2021 (, ) in sector C of the Tangerang prison, killing 41 ...
References
{{Reflist
2021 fires in Africa
2021 in Burundi
December 2021 events in Africa
Disasters in Burundi
Prison fire
Prison fires
Prisons in Africa