At least seven killed in fire at prison in northern Syria
Inmates rioted following protests in the city of Kobane over the killing of former Kurdish fighter, state media reports.
At least seven inmates have been killed and others injured after a fire broke out at a prison in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria.
The fire started when inmates at a jail in Kobane rioted over tensions that had erupted in the town on Friday, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported on Saturday. However, the cause of the blaze is yet to be officially confirmed.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the riot began overnight after authorities decided to transfer some inmates to another facility in Aleppo.
The protests and prison riot highlight the divisions still present in Syria following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.