The gas pipeline blast in Shahran neighborhood of northwestern Tehran on Friday has left one person dead, said Tehran deputy governor Gholam-Hossein Aram.
The explosion occurred when the drilling equipment at a project site near a subway station hit an 18-inch gas pipeline. The huge fire was brought under control and extinguished by the Fire Department and Emergency Services after battling the inferno for two hours.
“Unfortunately, the death of one person in the accident has been confirmed,” Aram told IRNA Friday evening.
The blast also caused a massive crater 100-meter wide and 50-meter deep. Early reports said between 2 and 5 workers were missing or trapped under the rubble and search operations were in progress. Investigations for the blast are underway, Aram said.
Head of the Crisis Prevention and Management Organization, Ahmad Sadeqi said Iranian Red Crescent Society experts used tracking devices to find out if any people were trapped in the buildings that collapsed after the gas blast. After ensuring that no persons were underneath the rubble, Sadeqi said the crater was filled up in the presence of the representative of the prosecutor office early Saturday. The telephone and electricity lines have been reconnected and water supply resumed. Gas connections to the 80 families living in the vicinity will be reconnected by afternoon, he said.
An emergency session headed by Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was convened to assess the situation.
