Fire at Tehran medical center leaves 19 dead, 14 injured
A fire and explosion at Sina Athar Medical Center in Tehran on Tuesday evening, July 1, left at least 19 dead and 14 injured.
Emergency officials say that a fire and explosion occurred at 8:46 p.m. at the Sina Athar Medical Clinic, and 15 women and four men lost their lives as a result of the incident.
According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the Tehran prosecutor reported that the cause of the incident was the explosion of three oxygen cylinders in the operating room of the clinic.
A spokesman for Tehran's emergency services also said that in the fire and explosion at Sina Athar Medical Center, patients and medical staff in the operating rooms accounted for the largest number of casualties and injuries.
According to IRNA, Peyman Sabrian added that although the fire and explosion started in the basement of the building, the people on the fourth and fifth floors of the building were most injured.
A spokesman for Tehran's emergency department says that seven of the injured in the incident were treated as outpatients, and seven others were transferred to Tajrish Martyrs' Hospital.
Meanwhile, IRNA, citing the Medical System Organization channel, announced that more than half of the fatalities were doctors and operating room staff.
Jalal Maleki, spokesman for the Tehran Fire Department, also said that as soon as the incident was reported, firefighters from four stations were dispatched to the scene, and the number of firefighters increased as a result.
He added: "Thanks to the efforts of firefighters, 20 people who were inside the building at the time of the incident were rescued."
According to the report, the fire at the Sina Athar Medical Center was contained after two hours, and firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to other buildings in the area, despite two explosions in the initial minutes of the incident.
In this context, Hamid Hadavand, deputy police commander of Greater Tehran, said that the cause of the accident is being investigated by fire department experts and police detectives.
The deputy police commander of Tehran added: "In the initial investigations, the cause of the accident was a gas leak and a shorted electrical cable."
Source: Radio Farda
