[custom_adv] Five people have been killed when a 10-storey building in Iran's southern city of Abadan partly collapsed and rescuers are trying to help at least 80 people left trapped under the rubble, Iranian state TV reports. [custom_adv] The semi-official Mehr news agency identified the building as a residential-commercial property on Amir Kabir street in the city, which is close to the border with Iraq. [custom_adv] State TV said emergency teams were being dispatched on Monday from other cities to help with the rescue operation, with two teams of rescue dogs, a helicopter and seven rescue vehicles already at the scene. [custom_adv] It showed footage of angry Abadan residents shouting slogans against the city authorities. The head of Khuzestan province's judiciary has ordered an investigation into the building's collapse, and its owner and the contractor who built it have been arrested, state TV said. [custom_adv] Abadan’s regional governor Ehsan Abbaspur told state TV that 27 people were injured in the accident on Amir Kabir Street, some of whom are in critical condition. [custom_adv] The report did not give any reason for the accident that occurred during the sandstorm, but the owner of the building and the project manager of the construction company that built it have been arrested. [custom_adv] People queued up at the local blood transfusion center to donate blood for the injured.“I thought it was an earthquake at first,” said Ahmed, a shop owner in the neighborhood, who only gave a name because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said angry residents attacked the city’s mayor Hossain Hamidpur. when he visited the spot. [custom_adv] Videos on social media showed angry protesters gathering at the scene as rescue teams were still working to recover casualties and clear debris. Rescuers from neighboring cities rushed to Abadan for help. [custom_adv] No further information was immediately available and officials said the incident was being investigated.The collapse was reminiscent of the 2017 fire and collapse of the iconic Plasco building in Tehran’s capital, which claimed dozens of lives. [custom_adv] In 1978, a fire broke out at the Rex movie theater in Abadan, killing hundreds of people. Abadan hosts the oldest oil refinery in the Middle East, which went online in 1912. [custom_adv] In 1978, a fire broke out at the Rex movie theater in Abadan, killing hundreds of people. Abadan hosts the oldest oil refinery in the Middle East, which went online in 1912. [custom_adv] State TV said emergency teams were being dispatched from other cities to help with the rescue operation, with two teams of rescue dogs, a helicopter and seven rescue vehicles already at the scene. It showed footage of angry Abadan residents shouting slogans against the city authorities. [custom_adv] The head of Khuzestan province’s judiciary has ordered an investigation into the building’s collapse, and its owner and the contractor who built it have been arrested, state TV said. [custom_adv] At least five people were killed and 27 people injured when a 10-story building collapsed in the southwest city of Abadan in the Iranian province of Khuzestan on Monday, the Iranian Red Crescent said. [custom_adv] At least 80 people remain trapped under the rubble, the Red Crescent said.Videos and pictures shared by the organization showed rescue teams at the site removing rubble and debris from a destroyed building. One helicopter, 12 teams, and sniffer dogs were dispatched as the rescue operation continues, the Red Crescent said. [custom_adv] "Adjacent buildings nearby also have unstable conditions and are at risk of collapse," it added. The owner of the building and the contractor were both arrested, the Abadan special prosecutor said according to Iranian media. The cause of the collapse is under investigation, Iran state media said.
