BEIRUT — Unrest broke out in Urmia jail in Iran's West Azerbaijan province as dozens of prisoners with coronavirus symptoms were denied medical care by prison authorities, according to an opposition group.

Thirty prisoners suspected of having the coronavirus in Urmia’s central prison visited the prison’s health center last Sunday but were returned to their cells after being denied any medical care, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) opposition group said.

This led to unrest inside the prison during which a prison guard was attacked by prisoners, the MEK said. None of the prisoners suspected of having the coronavirus have been quarantined, the MEK report added.

As of Tuesday morning, 7,878 in Iran have died from coronavirus and there are 154,445 confirmed cases. In March, inmates in at least eight prisons around Iran staged protests over growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus in prisons, during which more than 30 prisoners were killed by security forces, according to rights groups. — Agencies