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In this image made from video, security forces and others gather outside the scene of a fire at a prison in Gitega, Burundi Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Burundi's government says 38 prisoners have been killed in the fire Tuesday morning at the overcrowded prison, with more than 60 other people injured and the death toll could rise. (AP Photo)

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In this image made from video, destruction is seen at the scene of a fire at a prison in Gitega, Burundi Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Burundi's government says 38 prisoners have been killed in the fire Tuesday morning at the overcrowded prison, with more than 60 other people injured and the death toll could rise. (AP Photo)

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In this image made from video, security forces and a fire truck are seen outside the scene of a fire at a prison in Gitega, Burundi Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Burundi's government says 38 prisoners have been killed in the fire Tuesday morning at the overcrowded prison, with more than 60 other people injured and the death toll could rise. (AP Photo)

Burundi says prison fire kills 38 inmates in Gitega

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 9:58 AM ET Dec. 07, 2021

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi’s government says 38 prisoners have been killed in a fire Tuesday morning in Gitega, the country’s political capital.

Vice President Prosper Bazombanza announced the deaths. More than 60 other people have been injured and the death toll could rise.

The prison in Gitega is overcrowded with more than 1,500 inmates in cells designed to hold 400, according to local reports.