The collapse of a building under construction in southwestern Iran has killed at least 18 people, Iranian authorities said Thursday four days after the tragedy.
On Monday, the 10-story Metropol building, under construction on one of the main streets of Abadan, a city in Khouzestan province, was partially destroyed after the collapse.
“The exact number of the buried persons are still unknown but so far we have found the bodies of 18 people,” Ehasan Abbaspour, governor of Abadan, told IRNA news agency.
The previous provisional balance indicated 14 fatalities.
According to Abbaspour, “37 people were pulled alive from the rubble and transported to hospital.”
On Wednesday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television that searches proceed “slowly” because there is a risk that neighboring buildings will collapse.
Iranian television reported that the building is located on the “central and most frequented street” of the city.
Meanwhile, the judicial authorities proceeded to arrest 10 people, including the interim mayor, as well as municipal officials and supervisors of the construction project.
The detainees were accused of responsibility in the disaster.
In 2017, the collapse of a shopping mall with a 15-meter tower in Tehran killed 22 people, including 16 firefighters.
Source: Observadora
