At least 30 firefighters feared dead as blazing Tehran Building collapses
19 Jan 2017 - At least 30 firefighters are feared to have been killed after Iran's oldest high-rise in southern Tehran collapsed on Thursday following a major fire in the building, state television and a news agency reported.
The 17-story structure crumbled after fire engulfed the top floors of the building in downtown Tehran on Thursday morning as scores of firefighters battled the blaze.
An official was quoted as saying that between 50 to 100 people are believed to have been trapped under the rubble.
Reports earlier suggested that the 30 firefighters had been killed in the accident.
Earlier, authorities told IRNA just after the collapse that at least 38 people had been injured at the Plasco building, an iconic structure in central Tehran just north of the capital's sprawling bazaar.
Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before the collapse as police kept out shopkeepers and others wanting to rush back in to collect their valuables.
The building came down in a matter of seconds, shown live on state television, which had begun an interview with a journalist at the scene. A side of the building came down first, tumbling perilously close to a firefighter perched on a ladder and spraying water on the blaze.
A thick plume of brown smoke rose over the site. Onlookers wailed in grief.
Jalal Maleki, a fire department spokesman, earlier told Iranian state television that 10 firehouses responded to the blaze, which was first reported around 8 a.m.
The Plasco building was an iconic presence on the Tehran skyline.
The 17-story tower was built in the early 1960s. It was the tallest building in the city at the time of its construction.
