24 killed in commercial building collapse in SW Iran


The death toll of a 10-storey commercial building collapse in Iran's southwestern city of Abadan rose to 24, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported Friday.

So far, 34 of the 37 injured people have been discharged from the hospital, ISNA reported, citing Ehsan Abbaspour, deputy governor of the southwestern Khuzestan Province.

The rescue work, which involves some 2,000 workers, will continue until the last casualty is evacuated, the governor said earlier.

Ten people have been arrested for the incident, in which the building's owner and contractor were killed, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency reported Tuesday.

The under-construction building is located on a crowded street in downtown Abadan, surrounded by commercial and medical complexes.

The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has sent an investigation team to look into the cause, including the possible failure to observe technical and engineering standards during the construction.