Three prisoners were killed and 21 others injured, Thursday, as a fire broke out in one of the wings of Al-Malaz prison in the capital Riyadh, according to an official source.
The official Saudi News Agency quoted a statement issued by the Prison Authority, revealing a fire at dawn Thursday, in the No. 7 wing of the General Administration of Al-Malaz Prison.
She said that this resulted in the death of 3 and the injury of 21 inmates of the ward, without giving their names, confirming that the inmates were immediately evacuated from him, and emergency ambulance services were provided to the injured, and they were taken to hospital for treatment and medical care.
It stated that an investigation was launched into the accident to find out its causes and take systematic action on it.
It was not possible to obtain a comment from the Saudi authorities on the prisoners' cases and their names, nor about prison statistics.
No human rights NGOs concerned with political prisoners have commented about the fire yet.