Authorities in Uzbekistan are investigating whether fire safety rules were violated at a major university where a large blaze damaged buildings.
“All students are healthy,” the Tashkent State Agrarian University said in a statement on Tuesday, one day after the blaze that was extinguished by firefighters. The university said it had “taken full control of the situation” in collaboration with multiple government ministries – including emergency situations, internal affairs, agriculture and higher education – as well as authorities in the Tashkent region.
Students won’t miss any classes and “study processes will continue according to plan,” the university said.
The Tashkent Regional Department of Internal Affairs is conducting a criminal investigation of the fire at the university, which is home to offices of a number of government agencies and a frequent host to international academics and other visitors.
“In response to the baseless messages circulating on social networks, we inform you that 2 out of 43 buildings on the territory of the university have been damaged,” the university said.
It did not provide details about any false messaging, though there was conflicting information in the initial hours after the fire. A report by kun.uz, a digital news organization in Uzbekistan, indicated that some conflicting information came from official sources.
