A fire broke out at a prison in the Syrian city of Kobani during riots late Friday, killing at least nine people and wounding 17 others, a hospital official said.
The official said the injured were taken for treatment after the fire. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear and authorities had not offered a full explanation of what happened.
The attack comes as tensions remain high in northern Syria, including in areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Kobani, or Ain al-Arab, is close to the Turkish border and has seen fighting and political tensions over the years of Syria’s conflict.
Concerns over the security of detention facilities in northeastern Syria were already in focus after an escape of Islamic State detainees earlier this year. Al Jazeera reported in January that dozens of Islamic State fighters escaped a prison in the area amid fighting between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The latest deaths come amid broader instability in Syria, where clashes between forces loyal to the government and those led by the Kurdish minority have at times threatened fragile security arrangements.
Independent sources could not immediately confirm the cause of Friday’s fire, the identities of those killed and injured or whether prisoners were involved in the unrest.
