**A fire at a hospital facility for drug addicts in the city of Taldykorgan in south-eastern Kazakhstan has killed 38 people, according to officials.**The country’s emergency ministry said 40 staff and patients were rescued. The fire was large, it said, covering 650 sq m (7,000 sq ft).
There were no details on the cause of the fire, which broke out early Sunday and was only contained hours later.
Violations of safety regulations are common in Kazakhstan.
Workplace accidents and fires often result.
There were almost 10,000 fires in Kazakhstan in the first eight months of 2009, AP news agency quoted the emergency ministry as saying.