ZAGREB, 10 June (Hina) – Five inmates are in life-threatening condition due to burns and smoke inhalation from a fire that broke out on Monday at Split’s Bilice Prison, the Split University Hospital Centre (KBC) reported on Tuesday. The injured prisoners are currently in intensive care.
Among those in critical condition is one foreign national, said hospital spokesperson Kristina Bitanga, adding that the patients are aged between 27 and 41.
According to Bitanga, a total of nine inmates and one prison officer were transported to the hospital following the fire.
One patient has been hospitalised at the Department of Neurology, while three inmates were discharged after being examined and treated. The prison officer was also released, she said.
The Union of State and Local Government Employees of Croatia described the incident as a “clear warning” that the prison system is on the brink of collapse. It highlighted the issue during a protest held last week outside Zagreb’s Remetinec Prison, where judicial police officers demanded the adoption of legislation to improve the prison system and the working and material conditions of staff in correctional institutions, which are operating beyond capacity.
“Fires may not happen every day, but crises do. The public just doesn’t see them -В or at least, hasn’t until now,” the union stated.
“In the Split prison, it was once again the same people who responded -В the ones usually overlooked: judicial police officers, medical and technical staff, and prison employees. They were the ones who extinguished the fire,” the union said.
The fire at Bilice Prison, it stressed, exposed the lack of judicial police officers and qualified staff, and the overcrowding of prison facilities.
“The number of inmates often far exceeds what the system can handle. In such conditions, even minor incidents can quickly escalate into serious security threats,” the union warned.
ItВ again urged the relevant authorities to adopt a special law for employees in correctional institutions, harmonise financial rights and severance packages with those of other security services, and address staffing shortages and relieve the pressure on overburdened employees.
