Shocking new footage has surfaced, depicting a devastating sequence of building collapses in southern Tehran on Sunday, resembling a grim cascade of falling dominoes.
The calamity has resulted in the tragic loss of five lives, including two police officers who were overseeing the legal demolition of a structure.
The incident unfolded as five buildings, each in various stages of construction, crumbled to the ground in southern Tehran, leaving a trail of destruction. At least three individuals lost their lives, and over 10 others sustained injuries, further highlighting the severity of the catastrophe.
Tehran's Firefighting Organization revealed on Sunday that among those affected were four police officers and two municipality employees. Additionally, several individuals were trapped beneath the debris, prompting a race against time to effect their rescue.
Tragically, three lifeless bodies, including those of Major Hossein Esmaili and Colonel Yazdan Soleimanabadi, have been recovered from the wreckage. Efforts to identify the third victim, an elderly man, are ongoing as rescue operations persist at the site. Regrettably, the fate of at least two individuals remains uncertain, as rescue teams continue their painstaking efforts.
This harrowing event has cast a harsh light on the concerning prevalence of high-risk buildings within Tehran. While officials have refrained from publicizing a comprehensive list to avoid causing undue alarm, last year's disclosure of 129 unsafe structures by Ensaf News and the subsequent report by the IRNA state news agency in June, stating a staggering count of "33,000 unsafe buildings" in Tehran, underscore the gravity of the situation.