Report: Former governor of Khuzestan Province leaves Iran

The former governor of Iran’s Khuzestan Province, said to be a supporter of the owner of Metropol Building that has recently collapsed in the city of Abadan, has reportedly left the country.

The Iranian government’s news agency IRNA said Gholamreza Shariati legally left for the United Arab Emirates.

Shariati is among people who have been blamed by the public opinion for the building collapse in Abadan.

IRNA says it tried to reach out to Shariati for comment but he did not answer his cell phone.

The owner of Metropol Building was Hossein Abdolbaghi. He has been pronounced dead by authorities. They say Abdolbaghi was inside the building when it tumbled down and got killed under rubble. His body’s identity was also confirmed following a DNA test.

The building collapse in Abadan has so far killed 41 people. The incident caused anger after it was declared that the building collapsed due to poor construction standards.

Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi have vowed accountability over the tragic incident.

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