More Bodies Recovered from Rubble of Collapsed Building in Tehran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian rescuer workers on Thursday retrieved two more bodies from the rubble of a high-rise building in Tehran that collapsed last week after a massive blaze, bringing the death toll to seventeen.
On Thursday morning, they pulled out two more bodies from the debris of the Plasco Building, which crumbled after catching fire on January 19.
So far 17 bodies, including 13 firefighters and 4 citizens, have been recovered from the rubble and turned over to the coroner's office for identification.
The chances for finding any survivors seem low due to the extreme heat caused by fires that reignited as debris was removed.
A planned funeral for the firefighters has been delayed for a couple of days, deputy mayor of Tehran announced Wednesday.
According to Mojtaba Abdollahi, the funeral service, initially slated for Thursday, was postponed following a request from families of the victims.
He added that it was decided that the funeral procession be held for all victims of the tragic incident later.
The building was housing 600 production workshops, 400 of which were being used for making shirts.
Material damage from the collapse is estimated to stand at around 15,000 billion rials ($463 million).