RESCUE teams have continued to work tirelessly to reach trapped firefighters and other victims after a commercial building collapsed in Iran’s capital Tehran. At least 30 firefighters were killed when the 17-storey high-rise Plasco building came down.
The building – which first caught fire – was home to more than 500 garment and clothing workshops offices and warehouses, and was full of chemical materials. The collapse also injured 84 people.
The disaster at the 17-storey building, inadvertently shown live on state television reporting from the site after the building was engulfed in fire on Thursday morning, came after authorities said they repeatedly warned tenants about blocking stairwells with fabric from cramped garment workshops on its upper floors.
The high-rise was home to more than 500 garment and clothing shops, offices and warehouses, and was full of chemical materials, authorities said.
The blaze and the subsequent collapse stunned the city and firefighters and others openly wept on the streets, holding each other for support. Dozens of people lined up to donate blood.
Smoke was still seen rising occasionally from the ruins yesterday.
Workers were digging several tunnels from buildings next door to reach the basement of the collapsed building, and teams of rescue dogs were also at the site.
Authorities described the building, built more than five decades ago, as having a weak structure. Thursday's fire was the worst in Tehran since a 2005 blaze at a historic mosque killed 59 worshipers and injured nearly 200 others.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here