AKIPRESS.COM - Azerbaijani officials said 16 people died and more than 50 were injured in a fire at an apartment building on Tuesday.

The massive fire quickly engulfed the 16-storey apartment building in the capital, Baku, and took hours to contain.

Officials said the bad quality of plastic panelling covering the building contributed to the fire and a criminal investigation has been launched to determine its cause.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev has taken personal control of the investigation.