Rescuers scour debris for trapped firefighters

 Emergency teams struggled on Friday to rescue a group of trapped firefighters who were inside a high-rise building when it collapsed in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Firefighters, soldiers, and sniffer dogs worked throughout the night on Thursday but were unsuccessful in locating the more than 20 firefighters pinnned under the rubble of the 15-storey Plasco building for more than 24 hours.

Hossein Hashemi, Tehran's governor-general, said between 25-30 firefighters were still missing and no official figure on casualties could be released as rescue operations continued.
Pir Hossein Koolivand, head of Tehran's emergency services, blamed "thick smoke" for hampering rescue efforts.

"The relief work is very hard. Removal of debris is going on in all parts of the building, but the thick smoke rising ... is creating serious problems. It is still not clear how many people are trapped under the rubble, and not even one person has been pulled out."

The official IRNA news agency said one firefighter, who made it out of the building before it fell, died in a hospital from severe burns.

Some 84 people were injured in the fire, five of whom were still in hospital.

Each layer of wreckage removed from the scene was unleashing fresh smoke, causing problems for workers and sniffer dogs.

"The removal of debris is more difficult than removing debris from a major earthquake because we are dealing with fire, smoke and lack of oxygen," said Red Crescent official Morteza Moradipour.

Immediate investigation

President Hassan Rouhani called for an immediate investigation, while city officials said the building's managers ignored repeated warnings about fire hazards.

The building, which was Iran's oldest high-rise and contained a shopping centre and hundreds of clothing suppliers, came down on Thursday after a four-hour blaze.
Iranians were in shock over the apparent loss of so many firefighters, with state television placing a black banner across the corner of the screen as a sign of mourning.

source: Al Jazeera