Majlis Report Says Faulty Wiring Brought Down Plasco Tower

A report released by a Parliament investigative commission on Wednesday sheds light on the causes of the collapse of Plasco building, an old skyscraper in downtown Tehran, on January 19.

The investigative team identified ‘unauthorized and non-standard wiring’ as the primary cause of the disaster that cut short more than two dozen innocent lives, Borna News reported.

Plasco, a 17-story high-rise shopping center, was engulfed in flames and within minutes disintegrated like a house of cards, killing 26 people, including 16 firefighters and wounding 230 others.

Non-compliance with safety standards in the lighting, ventilation, heating, and warning systems as well as lack of sufficient firefighting equipment in the building were reported as other causes that brought down the tower built half a century ago.

The high-profile report also found seven organizations responsible for what happened on that tragic day in the sprawling capital, including the building’s board of directors, Iran Chamber of Guilds, Tehran Municipality and City Council, Tehran Governorate, the Ministry of Labor, the Management and Planning Organization of Iran, and the National Disaster Management Organization. Tehran has hundreds of dilapidated commercial buildings, which could face a similar fate as Plasco if proper measures are not taken to improve their safety.