Iran detains city mayor after 11 die in building collapse
The mayor of the south-western Iranian city of Abadan is among 10 people detained over a building collapse that killed at least 11 people.
The 10-storey residential and commercial building in Abadan partly collapsed on Monday, trapping at least 80 people under the rubble, state TV reported. The authorities have opened an investigation.
“Ten people who are the main elements implicated in this incident, including the current and former Abadan mayors, a number of municipality employees and those who supervised this project have been detained and the investigation continues,” prosecutor Sadeq Jafari Chegeni said yesterday.
The authorities have issued a warning that other parts of the building could collapse and urged people not to gather near the site.
“After hours of emergency efforts, 30 people trapped under the rubble were extracted alive and taken to hospital to treat their injuries,” a deputy governor of the Khuzestan province told Irna yesterday.
About 50 people may still be trapped under the rubble, Mojtaba Khaledi, a spokesman for the emergency services, told state media.
The collapse occurred during a sandstorm and the authorities are investigating the cause. The building’s owner and the project manager at the company that built it are among those arrested over the incident.
People have queued to donate blood in the city to help those injured in the collapse.
Video recorded at the scene shows bloodied and dust-covered people being removed from the area as rescue workers sift through the wreckage. Several cars also appear to have been crushed.
Building collapses are not uncommon in Iran, where a combination of corruption in the construction industry and lax health and safety standards make tall structures potentially dangerous.
In 2017, 20 firefighters were killed when a 17-storey commercial building in Tehran collapsed as they tackled a blaze.
The authorities say other parts of the building could collapse and have urged people not to gather at the site