Fire at Tunisian Islamist party HQ leaves 1 dead, 18 injured

A fire at Tunisia’s largest Islamist party’s headquarters in the capital Tunis has killed one person and injured 18, authorities and the party say. The injured include a former prime minister who is hurt after jumping out of a window.

In a statement, the Ennahdha movement says party activist Sami Sifi, 51, died and several staff members and politicians were injured.

The cause of the blaze is not immediately clear. The Interior Ministry says a judicial inquiry has been opened.

Videos on social media show a thick column of white smoke rising from the building, as occupants try to jump out of the windows to escape the flames.

Ennahdha Vice-President Ali Laarayedh, who served as Tunisia’s prime minister in 2013-2014, suffers leg fractures after jumping from a second-floor window.

“The Party prays for mercy for the deceased and expresses condolences to his family, it thanks the firefighters who intervened quickly to put out the fire and rescue those present at the headquarters,” the party says in a statement.