Dozens of Iran firefighters feared trapped in building collapse

TEHRAN: Dozens of firefighters were feared trapped under the rubble after Iran´s oldest high-rise, the 15-storey Plasco building in downtown Tehran, collapsed live on TV on Thursday following a fire.

State television said 200 firefighters had been called to the scene and "tens" may have been inside when the building collapsed.

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.

"I think there are about 40 to 50 people still inside," said Ali, a firefighter at the scene.

"I was inside and suddenly I felt the building is shaking and is about to collapse. As we gathered colleagues and got out, a minute later the building collapsed," he told AFP.

Dramatic images showed flames pouring out of the top floors of the building, which dated from the early 1960s and included a shopping centre and clothing workshops, just before it came down.

"The building´s caretaker and some firefighters were inside when the building collapsed," said Ahmad, the owner of one of its shops.

"I´ve lost my entire stock. Thousands of families have been ruined," he added.

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.

"A friend of mine has a shop there. I keep calling him but there´s no answer. I think he´s been trapped," said Mohsen, an onlooker.

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.

"There a number of people inside but we don´t know how many and the fire brigade organisation is going to announce how many were there," Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia told AFP.

"Even one would be too many," he added.