A fire at a home for mentally disabled children in Tajikistan has killed 13 children.
Authorities in the capital, Dushanbe, say about 100 children were sleeping in the building when the fire broke out early Sunday.
Local media quote witnesses as saying the fire department did not arrive until at least 30 minutes after the fire started and that locals rushed to the scene to begin the rescue.
Officials say two children were hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation, while 77 others were rescued unharmed.
The fire completely gutted the single-story building. Authorities believe electric heaters may have overloaded the building's electrical system and started the blaze.
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov expressed his condolences and set up a government commission to investigate the cause of the fire.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
