Iranian firefighters start to dig a tunnel to make a corridor under the 17-storey Plasco building which collapsed after being engulfed by a fire, in central Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Iran's state-run Press TV says dozens of firefighters have been killed in the collapse of a burning high-rise building.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Fredericksburg.com. </s> TEHRAN — Emergency workers have dug tunnels into the wreckage of a collapsed high-rise in downtown Tehran in their search for survivors and bodies, Iranian state TV reported.

They have not yet found any of the firefighters believed to be buried under the rubble, Iran’s fire chief told the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Network. More than 20 are thought to have died.

The two tunnels lead from adjacent buildings into the collapsed 17-story Plasco building, IRINN reported. The huge size of the site makes reaching the trapped firefighters very difficult, the station said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement Thursday supporting the firefighters’ rescue efforts and giving his condolences to the families of the firemen who died.

“More than 20 of our colleagues in the fire department have lost their lives while trying to save the people in the fire,” Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was cited by IRINN as saying Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Tehran’s fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki told IRINN an estimated 20 to 30 firefighters were on the third floor of the Plasco building when it collapsed.

The cause of the fire and collapse is being investigated, he added.

Housing garment manufacturers and other businesses, the Plasco building was one of Tehran’s oldest high-rises and a feature of the city’s skyline.

The commercial building’s dramatic collapse on live TV came after a fire raged for hours through its upper floors.

Official news agency IRNA cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying Friday that all necessary measures had been taken to secure the German, Turkish and British embassies nearby.

Located on Jomhouri Avenue in central Tehran, the Plasco building was constructed in 1962. It was named after a successful plastics business, Plascokar.

Seventeen stories tall, it was the country’s first private high-rise building and soon became a well-known feature of the city’s skyline. </s> TEHRAN — Emergency workers have dug tunnels into the wreckage of a collapsed high-rise in downtown Tehran in their search for survivors and bodies, Iranian state TV reported.

They have not yet found any of the firefighters believed to be buried under the rubble, Iran‘s fire chief told the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Network. More than 20 are thought to have died.

The two tunnels lead from adjacent buildings into the collapsed 17-story Plasco building, IRINN reported. The huge size of the site makes reaching the trapped firefighters very difficult, the station said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement Thursday supporting the firefighters’ rescue efforts and giving his condolences to the families of the firemen who died.

“More than 20 of our colleagues in the fire department have lost their lives while trying to save the people in the fire,” Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was cited by IRINN as saying Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Tehran’s fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki told IRINN an estimated 20 to 30 firefighters were on the third floor of the Plasco building when it collapsed.

The cause of the fire and collapse is being investigated, he added.

Housing garment manufacturers and other businesses, the Plasco building was one of Tehran’s oldest high-rises and a feature of the city’s skyline.

The commercial building’s dramatic collapse on live TV came after a fire raged for hours through its upper floors.

Official news agency IRNA cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying Friday that all necessary measures had been taken to secure the German, Turkish and British embassies nearby.

Located on Jomhouri Avenue in central Tehran, the Plasco building was constructed in 1962. It was named after a successful plastics business, Plascokar.

Seventeen stories tall, it was the country’s first private high-rise building and soon became a well-known feature of the city’s skyline. </s> Emergency workers have dug tunnels into the wreckage of a collapsed high-rise in downtown Tehran in their search for survivors and bodies, Iranian state TV reported.

They have not yet found any of the firefighters believed to be buried under the rubble, Iran’s fire chief told the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Network. More than 20 are thought to have died.

The two tunnels lead from adjacent buildings into the collapsed 17-story Plasco building, IRINN reported. The huge size of the site makes reaching the trapped firefighters very difficult, the station said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement Thursday supporting the firefighters’ rescue efforts and giving his condolences to the families of the firemen who died.

“More than 20 of our colleagues in the fire department have lost their lives while trying to save the people in the fire,” Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was cited by IRINN as saying Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Tehran’s fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki told IRINN an estimated 20 to 30 firefighters were on the third floor of the Plasco building when it collapsed.

The cause of the fire and collapse is being investigated, he added.

Housing garment manufacturers and other businesses, the Plasco building was one of Tehran’s oldest high-rises and a feature of the city’s skyline.

The commercial building’s dramatic collapse on live TV came after a fire raged for hours through its upper floors.

Official news agency IRNA cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying Friday that all necessary measures had been taken to secure the German, Turkish and British embassies nearby.

Located on Jomhouri Avenue in central Tehran, the Plasco building was constructed in 1962. It was named after a successful plastics business, Plascokar.

Seventeen stories tall, it was the country’s first private high-rise building and soon became a well-known feature of the city’s skyline. </s> Story highlights Report: Emergency workers have dug tunnels into the wreckage of the Plasco building

Tehran's mayor told state TV that more than 20 firefighters had died at the site

Tehran (CNN) Emergency workers have dug tunnels into the wreckage of a collapsed high-rise in downtown Tehran in their search for survivors and bodies, Iranian state TV reported.

They have not yet found any of the firefighters believed to be buried under the rubble, Iran's fire chief told the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Network. More than 20 are thought to have died.

The two tunnels lead from adjacent buildings into the collapsed 17-story Plasco building, IRINN reported. The huge size of the site makes reaching the trapped firefighters very difficult, the station said.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement Thursday supporting the firefighters' rescue efforts and giving his condolences to the families of the firemen who died.

Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside The rubble of the Plasco building in Tehran, Iran, is seen after it collapsed following a fire on Thursday, January 19. As many as 30 firefighters are feared dead, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Official news agency IRNA cited the head of Tehran Emergency Services as saying 70 people were injured in the fire. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Iranian firefighters comfort a fellow fireman in the aftermath of the building collapse. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Emergency crews continue operations after the collapse of the Plasco building. Built more than 50 years ago, the iconic building was home to hundreds of garment manufacturers and other businesses, Fars reported. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside A firefighter climbs over the fallen wreckage of the Plasco building. Thirty-five firefighters are missing after the multi-story building collapsed around them as they battled a blaze, Tehran Fire Department spokesman Jalal Maleki told a local journalist on the scene. Rescue teams are trying to dig out the missing firefighters, Maleki said. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Authorities surround the debris of the collapsed building, which was one of Tehran's oldest high-rises. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside A firefighter reacts outside the building, where the blaze burned through the upper stories for more than three hours before the structure came down. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Firefighters outside the building before it collapsed. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Firefighters worked to move people away and clear the area before the building collapsed. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Iranians watch as firefighters work to extinguish the blazing Plasco building. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Firefighters work to control the blaze. Fars agency cited Mojtaba Doroodian, head of the shirt makers' union, as saying that the fire was the result of a leak in a small gas cylinder on the 10th floor, which caused an explosion when a merchant turned on the lights in his store. Tehran Fire Department spokesman Jalal Maleki said the cause of the building fire and collapse is being investigated. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Fire crews attempt to extinguish the blaze. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside Residents take photos of the Plasco building engulfed in smoke and flames. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Tehran building collapses following huge fire inside People watch as smoke rises from the windows of the Plasco building. Hide Caption 13 of 13

"More than 20 of our colleagues in the fire department have lost their lives while trying to save the people in the fire," Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was cited by IRINN as saying Thursday.

Read More </s> They have not yet found any of the firefighters believed to be buried under the rubble, Iran's fire chief told the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Network. More than 20 are thought to have died.

The two tunnels lead from adjacent buildings into the collapsed 17-story Plasco building, IRINN reported. The huge size of the site makes reaching the trapped firefighters very difficult, the station said.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement Thursday supporting the firefighters' rescue efforts and giving his condolences to the families of the firemen who died.

"More than 20 of our colleagues in the fire department have lost their lives while trying to save the people in the fire," Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was cited by IRINN as saying Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Tehran's fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki told IRINN an estimated 20 to 30 firefighters were on the third floor of the Plasco building when it collapsed. The cause of the fire and collapse is being investigated, he added. Housing garment manufacturers and other businesses, the Plasco building was one of Tehran's oldest high-rises and a feature of the city's skyline. The commercial building's dramatic collapse on live TV came after a fire raged for hours through its upper floors. Official news agency IRNA cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying Friday that all necessary measures had been taken to secure the German, Turkish and British embassies nearby. Located on Jomhouri Avenue in central Tehran, the Plasco building was constructed in 1962. It was named after a successful plastics business, Plascokar. Seventeen stories tall, it was the country's first private high-rise building and soon became a well-known feature of the city's skyline. </s> Tehran: At least 30 Iranian fire fighters were killed in a blaze that brought down a multi-storeyed commercial building in Tehran, state media reported on Thursday.

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.

“The building is one of the oldest buildings in Tehran,” it said, adding that “the Plasco building is located in southern Tehran and is mostly a commercial building”.

The 17-storeyed building came down in a matter of seconds, with a thick plume of smoke instantly rising over the site, it added.

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.

The commercial tower, located on Jomhoori Avenue, was built in 1962 and named after a plastics manufacturing company. The Plasco building includes a shopping mall and clothing workshops. </s> ANKARA At least 20 firefighters were killed when a 17-storey Tehran commercial building collapsed on top of them as they tried to put out a blaze, Iranian state television quoted the city's mayor as saying on Thursday."At least 20 firefighters who were trapped under rubble have died," Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said. "They are martyrs. They lost their lives when trying to help people."Qalibaf had earlier said around 25 firefighters were trapped inside the building. State TV said the death toll might increase. Soldiers, sniffer dogs and rescue workers were searching the ruins of the Plasco building after it crashed down in a giant cloud of dust. One witness described it as "like a horror movie".State TV said at least 78 people, including 45 firefighters, had been injured, and the remains of the building had continued to burn after the collapse. Most of those hurt had been taken to hospital and many were quickly discharged, it said.The semi-official Tasnim news agency said troops had been sent to help dig through the ruins. It said one of the first firefighters to be reached had demanded to be let back inside to save his colleagues.The agency quoted an official in the Tehran governor's office as saying an electrical short-circuit had caused the fire, but there was no immediate confirmation of this.

President Hassan Rouhani ordered an immediate investigation and compensation for those affected. RESCUE COULD TAKE DAYS

Tehran Fire Department spokesman Jalal Maleki said the building had collapsed vertically. "That is why adjacent buildings were not damaged," he said.Occupants of the building had been evacuated as the firefighters tackled the blaze. State TV said the tenants included garment manufacturers, and broadcast footage of business owners trying to re-enter the wreckage.Sniffer dogs searched for signs of survivors buried under giant slabs of concrete and heaps of twisted metal. The rescue operation could last more than two days, state TV said. The Plasco building, Iran's first private high-rise, was built more than 50 years ago by a prominent Iranian-Jewish businessman who was arrested and sentenced to death for ties to Israel after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Tasnim said it "had caught fire in the past". A fire department spokesman told state TV that tenants "had been warned repeatedly in the past months by the municipality to evacuate the building because of safety concerns.""We had repeatedly warned the building managers about the lack of safety," Maleki told state TV. "The building lacked fire extinguishers... But the building managers ignored the warnings."The owner of a nearby grocery store, forced by police to leave the area, told Reuters by telephone: "It was like a horror movie. The building collapsed in front of me."The semi-official Fars news agency said police had cordoned off the nearby British, German and Turkish embassies. "The flames could be seen kilometers away from the old building," it said. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. </s> At least 38 firefighters were injured when a blazing high-rise building in Tehran collapsed, state television reported on Thursday.

Everyone had been evacuated from the building, state TV said, but firefighters were still trying to control the blaze and police have cordoned off the area.

Rescue teams were at the scene, state TV said.

"The building is one of the oldest buildings in Tehran. The Plasco building is a very old building in southern Tehran. It is mostly a commercial building," state TV said, referring to the Plasco Building, which is more than 50 years old.

"At least 38 people were injured and hospitalized but most of them have been discharged."

"The flames could be seen kilometers away from the old building ... but most of the residents and shopkeepers in the building have been evacuated," the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"The fire started around 8 a.m. (0430 GMT) local time when many shopkeepers were not inside the building," it said.
Search continues for missing firefighters in Tehran's Plasco Building site after the building's deadly fire and collapsing last day.