Dubai, October 17: Iran's judiciary raised the death toll on Monday in a blaze at Tehran's notorious Evin prison, saying at least eight prisoners were killed as protests continue nationwide. The judiciary's Mizan news agency offered the new toll, saying the prisoners had succumbed to their injuries from the incident on Saturday night.

It said all those dead had been held on theft charges. Flames and thick smoke rising from Tehran's Evin Prison had been widely visible on Saturday night, as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody entered a fifth week.

In online videos, gunshots and explosions could be heard in the area of the prison. The blaze was extinguished after several hours and no detainees escaped, state media said.

Authorities have attempted to distance the events at the prison from the ongoing protests, while state media has offered conflicting accounts of the violence. Hundreds are being held at Evin, where human rights groups have reported repeated abuses of prisoners.

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