A high-rise building in Tehran engulfed by a fire collapsed on Thursday, killing at least 30 people, including firefighters, state media reported.

At least 70 people are believed to be trapped inside the Plasco building, an iconic structure in central Tehran just north of the capital’s sprawling bazaar.

Iran’s state-run Press TV announced the firefighters’ deaths, without giving a source for the information. Local Iranian state television said 30 civilians were injured in the disaster, while the state-run IRNA news agency said 45 firefighters had been injured

A thick plume of brown smoke rose over the site after the collapse. Onlookers wailed in grief.

Jalal Maleki, a fire department spokesman, earlier told Iranian state television that 10 firehouses responded to the blaze, which was first reported around 8 am.  The Iranian military sent units to help with the disaster, state television reported.

The Plasco building was an iconic presence on the Tehran skyline.

The 17-story tower was built in the early 1960s. It was the tallest building in the city at the time of its construction.

The tower is attached to a multistory shopping mall featuring a sky-lit atrium and a series of turquoise-colored fountains. It wasn’t immediately clear if the mall was damaged

source : gulfnews