Iran building collapse: 18 dead
2008-07-01 15:24
Tehran - The death toll after a building collapsed in Tehran has risen to 18 and the prosecutor is investigating the Iranian capital's authorities, officials said on Tuesday.
The seven-story building collapsed in north Tehran's affluent Saadat Abad neighbourhood on Monday.
Police, quoted by state television on Tuesday, said the number of dead had risen to 18. Tehran's prosecutor-general, Saeed Mortazavi, earlier said the toll could rise to 20.
"A probe of the municipality's role in the case has also begun," judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi said.
Tehran, a city of 12 million people, has seen a boom in construction in recent years, with builders rushing to keep up with demand in the world's fourth-largest oil producer.
Jamshidi said Mortazavi, who went to the scene shortly after the collapse, had asked for those involved with the construction of the building to be detained.
"As you know (Mortazavi) called for the immediate detention of those believed to have been guilty or negligent in the case such as the supervising engineer, the contractor and the employer," Jamshidi said.