Fire Breaks Out At Hospital In Tehran, No Casualties Announced

A huge fire broke out at a hospital in Iran's capital Tehran on Thursday, with Iran's Health Ministry spokesman claiming that no one is injured.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or the cause of incident, with an official saying the blaze had engulfed the building's exterior facade.

State TV said the area around the Gandhi Hospital in northern Tehran has been cordoned off and the hospital was being evacuated.

Pedram Pak-Ayin, the spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said that "none" of the workers and patients at Gandhi Hospital have been harmed.

He added that the cause of the fire is not clear and added, "The patients of Gandhi Hospital are being transferred to other medical centers."

According to Deputy Health Minister Saeed Karimi, 80 patients have been transferred from Gandhi Hospital to surrounding medical centers.

Tehran Fire Department spokesperson Jalal Malaki said the fire started at 1900 local time (1530 GMT) and firefighters had been dispatched to the area.

"Initial reports indicate that the fire primarily affected the exterior of the hospital building," Maleki told state TV.

According to information from the Gandhi Hospital website, the complex has 100 beds, 17 operating rooms, and 100 residential suites.

No exact information has been released about the number of patients and other people inside the hospital at the time of the fire.