Fire kills 67 inmates in Saudi prison

A fire has killed 67 inmates at a prison in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

A fire has killed 67 inmates at a prison in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Some 20 inmates and three security guards were injured in the blaze which broke out at around noon, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

It is not clear if the fire was started deliberately.

It was not immediately known if the prison housed any of the more than 200 Islamic militants arrested in recent months in a nationwide manhunt for supporters of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

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"It is too early to tell whether the fire is an act ofsabotage but an investigation is going on," a Saudi security source said.

SPA said firemen and rescuers were trying to put out theblaze.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz ordered a committee to be set up to investigate the cause of the fire.