8 people die in cafe fire in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Eight people lost their lives in a fire that broke out late Tuesday in Iran’s capital.

According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, an explosion occurred followed by a fire during a birthday party at a cafe in Tehran’s Shahriar suburb.

Four children were among the dead, according to Iran’s Red Crescent Society.

Three children, three women and a man died at the scene, and a three-year-old boy died in the hospital.

The Shahriar Prosecutor's Office said the cafe is located in a basement and that a helium balloon burst into flames, according to preliminary findings.

After the cafe caught fire, people fled to the kitchen in the back but suffocated from the smoke.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat