1 dead, 12 injured in fire at Tunisian Ennahda party HQ

TUNIS, Tunisia – One person was killed and 12 were injured in a fire at the headquarters of Tunisia’s Ennahda party on Thursday, December 9, the country’s civil protection agency said.

Ennahda said one of its members was killed in the fire but did not give details.

Two senior party officials were also among the injured in the blaze at the building in the capital, Tunis, according to Ennahda members and witnesses.

One was Ali Larayedh, a former prime minister who was injured when he jumped to safety from a second-floor window. Another was Abdelkarim Harouni, they said.

There was no official reason yet for what caused the fire.

One party member told Reuters it resulted from a short-circuit in the main meetings hall. However, some other members said the blaze started when a man set himself on fire, without giving details of his identity.

The Arab Spring – a wave of protests calling for more democracy across the Arab world – was famously sparked in Tunisia 11 years ago when a street vendor set himself on fire. – Rappler.com