11 People Killed And Dozens Still Trapped Due To Collapsed Buildings, Mayors And Project Supervisors Arrested

JAKARTA - Iran's judicial authorities have detained the mayor of Abadan and nine other people over an investigation into the collapse of a building in the city that claimed the lives of local state media, Tuesday.

At least 11 people died and about 80 people were trapped in the rubble when a 10-story residential and commercial building partially collapsed on Monday, according to state TV.

"Ten people who are the main elements involved in this incident, including the current and former Mayor of Abadan, a number of municipal employees and those overseeing the project, have been detained and the investigation is continuing," local prosecutor Sadeq Jafari Chegeni told state TV. Reuters 24 May.

Authorities said other parts of the building may have collapsed and asked people not to gather near the site.

Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khaledi, spokesman for the country's emergency services, told television some 50 people may still be trapped under the rubble.

In 2017, 20 firefighters died when a 17-storey commercial building in the capital Tehran collapsed, while they were trying to extinguish a fire.

The disaster sparked accusations that warnings about poor safety standards and weak structures had been ignored.