78 Injured, Many Missing After Tehran High-Rise Collapse​

Plasco Building, in central Tehran, collapsed on Thursday morning following a major fire in the building, leaving at least 78 people injured. 

The building was evacuated after the fire broke out but people were still inside when the collapse happened including more than 20 firefighters. Rescue workers, soldiers and sniffer dogs are looking for trapped people. 

According to the head of the Tehran Emergency Services about 27 injured people have been hospitalized.

President Hassan Rouhani has tasked the Interior Minister to investigate the accident. 

Talking to the state TV, Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that at least  20 firefighters, trapped under rubble have lost their lives.

But Tehran Fire Department spokesman Jalal Maleki told the broadcaster, “I cannot confirm the death of around 20 firefighters ... The rescue operation still continues. They might still be alive,” Reuters reported.

The 56-year-old commercial building was hosting 600 shops and business units mostly in apparel business. About 400 units are totally destroyed.

“This was the most terrifying event I've ever seen,” a shocked salesperson working in a nearby store who witnessed the collapse of the building told the Financial Tribune.