Toll from building collapse in Tehran rises to four dead

Four individuals, including two police officers, were killed due to the collapse of buildings during a demolition operation in southeastern Tehran on Sunday, according to a new toll reported by the Iranian agency "Tasnim" on Monday. 

Media outlets had reported on Sunday evening that three police officers were killed and 11 civilians were injured. 

"Tasnim" clarified on Monday that "four people lost their lives," noting that two police officers were among the victims. 

The "ISNA" agency had indicated on Sunday that police officers were present at the scene "to support municipal personnel" in Tehran who were tasked with demolishing "several unauthorized residential buildings." 

Quoting the capital's police, it stated that five buildings suddenly collapsed during the operation "due to non-compliance with construction safety measures." 

On the other hand, "Tasnim" quoted the spokesperson for the firefighting teams, Jalal Maleki,, as saying on Monday, "Our colleagues are still working at the incident site," due to the possibility of "another person being under the rubble.” 

According to "Tasnim," authorities may seek to "detain some individuals involved in unsafe and illegal construction operations" related to the collapsed buildings. 

A municipal official in Tehran confirmed on Saturday that over 46,000 unlicensed buildings had been demolished in the past two years, as reported by the daily newspaper "Hamshahri," affiliated with the capital's municipality. 

In May 2022, the collapse of a building under construction in the city of Abadan (southwest) led to the death of 43 people. 

This disaster triggered a series of protests in the country, expressing solidarity with the victims' families and condemning the authorities, accused of corruption and inefficiency. 

AFP