The deadly collapse of Iran's oldest high-rise building in downtown Tehran on Thursday morning has sparked emotional reactions from the international community.
Plasco shopping centre caught fire on early Thursday and came down only hours later, entrapping at least 25 people under the rubble, of which three are confirmed dead.
According to a report by IFP, the building came down at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), which was shown live on state television.
Following the tragic incident, many top foreign officials have expressed their condolences to the Iranian nation, officials, firefighters and families of the victims in separate messages.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan are among the presidents who have condoled with their Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the disastrous event.
In his message to President Rouhani, Belarusian President wrote: “I express my sympathy for the victims of Tehran’s high-rise collapse and convey my condolences to the Iranian nation.”
France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development also expressed great sorrow over the bitter incident and sympathized with the victims’ families.
A number of British officials, who were closely following the news of the incident due to the proximity of their country’s embassy to the scene, have also conveyed their condolences in separate messages.
The Russian Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Vladimir Puchkov has also extended condolences over the martyrdom of Iranian firefighters in Plasco Building’s incident, saying, “The sacrifice made by a number of Iranian firefighters is a manifestation of their commitment to fulfilling their responsibilities.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was also among the senior foreign officials who extended their condolences over the catastrophic event.
“We were watching the sacrifices made by the Iranian firefighters on TV, until the tower collapsed. We have heard that a number of these heroes have been trapped under the rubble and some have lost their lives.”
“Expressing our deepest sorrow at the occurrence of the terrible event, we would like to extend our sympathy to the victims’ families on behalf of the Palestinian nation and Hamas Islamic resistance Movement, and express our condolences over the demise of these beloved heroes to their colleagues, family members and Iran’s honourable people. We supplicate that God harbours them in heaven’s loftiest places and heals those injured in the catastrophic incident.”
Furthermore , a number of foreign firefighters, have expressed sympathy for their Iranian colleagues, accorded respect to their memories and prayed for their Iranian brothers’ health and wellbeing.
In addition, all Iranian embassies in other countries have flown Iran’s flags at half-mast as a mark of respect for the victims of the Plasco building’s collapse. They also plan to open memorial books.
Since Thursday, rescuers have been using life detection devices to locate possible survivors, and, according to the Mehr news agency, at least four responses have been picked up, likely indicating that at least four people are still alive.
While Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had earlier said 20 firefighters lost their lives trying to contain the flames, Tehran Fire Department spokesman, Jalal Maleki, told the state TV that although a number of firefighters were presumed dead, no final figure could be given on fatalities.
A security official with Tehran Governor General’s Office, Mohsen Hamedani, said initial investigations suggest that the fire had been caused by a short circuit in the electrical system of the building, and was not of a security nature.
The building was one of the capital’s oldest high-rise buildings, which was housing 600 production workshops, 400 of which were being used for making shirts.
Earlier, it was reported that the nearby buildings including the embassies of Turkey, Germany and Britain have been evacuated following the incident. But later, the report was dismissed by Iran’s diplomatic police.
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