Fire and smoke: Tehran’s oldest building collapses, many injured

Firefighters battle a blaze that engulfed Iran's oldest high-rise, the 15-storey Plasco building in downtown Tehran. State television said 200 firefighters had been called to the scene and 38 had already been injured battling the blaze before it fell. (AFP)

Published on: Jan 19, 2017 6:28 PM IST

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Firefighters battle a blaze that engulfed Iran's oldest high-rise, the 15-storey Plasco building in downtown Tehran. State television said 200 firefighters had been called to the scene and 38 had already been injured battling the blaze before it fell. (AFP)

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Smoke billows from the high-rise building in Tehran. Dozens of firefighters were feared trapped under the rubble . (REUTERS)

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People watch as firefighters try to douse the fire . (AFP)

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The fire is thought to have begun on the ninth floor and spread quickly to workshops above. (REUTERS)

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Firefighters try to put out the fire. Officials had yet to confirm if anyone had been killed, but the head of Tehran’s emergency services told state TV that at least 70 people had been injured and 23 hospitalised before and after the building fell. (REUTERS)

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Iran's oldest high-rise seen after the collapse in downtown Tehran. (REUTERS)

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A crisis meeting was being held at the scene with Tehran’s governor, police chiefs and officials from the Red Crescent. The army was also deployed to assist with the rescue effort. (AFP)

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The steel skeleton of the building could be seen bending down to the ground as around 100 fire engines and dozens of ambulances surrounded the area. (AFP)

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Iranian firefighters run towards the Plasco building engulfed by a fire in central Tehran, Iran. (AP)

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Firefighters carry a wounded comrade as they battle a blaze that engulfed Iran's oldest high-rise building. (AFP)

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A firefighter consoles his comrade after the collapse of Iran's oldest high-rise. (AFP)

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The fire spread through the building in the early hours of Thursday, despite efforts by Tehran fire fighters to put out the blaze, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported, adding that Plasco Trade Centre was the biggest in the Iranian capital. (AFP)

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An official was quoted as saying that between 50 to 100 people were believed to have been trapped under the rubble, Press TV reported, adding that nearby buildings, including the embassies of Turkey and Britain, have been evacuated. (AFP)

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A firefighter reacts at the site of the blazing high-rise building in Tehran, Iran. The Plasco building contained some 400 business units as well as workshops. (REUTERS)

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It was the first high-rise and shopping centre in Tehran and was the city’s tallest building when it was finished in 1962, before being dwarfed by the construction boom of later years. (REUTERS)