Iran Press- ٍEurope/ One Iranian and four Afghan refugees whose asylum claims were rejected by Austrian authorities, and who were waiting to be deported, set themselves on fire on Saturday morning in their cells at a prison in the Austrian capital Vienna. All five are currently in hospital and are said to be in critical condition.
The statement expressed the Iranian embassy's regret about the tragic incident of attempted self-immolation and called for a thorough investigation by the Austrian authorities.
The incident led to a complete evacuation of the detention centre, and 200 police officers and fire brigade personnel were summoned to deal with the incident. Gürtel Street in Vienna, where the prison is located, was closed to the public for several hours. Additionally, about 20 prison inmates were transferred to hospital due to inhalation of toxic fumes during the fire.
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