Debris that continues to fall; "Metropole" after 10 days

Ten days after the collapse of the 10-story "Metropole" commercial complex in Abadan, according to official reports, the bodies of 37 people have been pulled from the rubble of the tower so far, and it is not clear how many others are still trapped under the rubble.

"According to experts, this building does not have sufficient resistance and the status of its destruction must be determined," Khuzestan Governor Sadegh Khalilian told the official government news agency IRNA on Wednesday. "The fate of the bodies of those trapped under the rubble will be determined in the next 24 hours," he said.

The governor of Khuzestan also announced that compensation for the victims would be paid from the property of “Abdolbaqi.” Khalilian said: “The compensation for the victims of this accident will be paid from the property of the owner of Metropol as well as from insurance companies.” Previously, Mohammad Mokhbar, the first deputy governor, had said that the government would pay the owners of the destroyed houses.

Also, according to IRNA, the plenipotentiary representative of the Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters in the Metropole project announced the finalization of the "demolition of the building remains" and said that "this operation will take about three months." According to Mustafa Matdeen, "exploding the structure is the last option" because "the psychological discussion of the issue" must be observed.

However, in recent days, reports from Abadan indicate disruptions to the internet in Abadan, power outages, and the closure of "all shops" on the streets leading to the remains of the "Metropole"; conditions that citizens interpret as "martial law."

As public freedoms in Iran continue to deteriorate, the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on Wednesday condemned the Islamic Republic’s government’s continued use of violence against peaceful protesters in Iran, tweeting that “brave Iranians” are calling on the government to address “their legitimate concerns about conditions resulting from the regime’s mismanagement and neglect.” The office said the US supports people’s rights to peaceful assembly and expression.

The Iranian Writers' Association also issued a statement expressing concern over the arrest of Arash Qaleh-Golab, a poet and journalist from Abadan, and held the security institutions responsible for the lives of those arrested during the protests against the collapse of the Metropole. Qaleh-Golab was arrested by security forces on June 25 and beaten.

It is worth mentioning that in recent days, some media outlets have revealed the connection between Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Hossein Abdul Baqi, owner and investor of Metropol. According to media reports, Maud Shamkhani, Ali Shamkhani's nephew, was the main introducer for Hossein Abdul Baqi to invest in the city of Abadan.

On Tuesday, Sawlat Mortazavi, Raisi's executive deputy, called for the trial of Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan in the Hassan Rouhani administration. According to Hamshahri Online, Mortazavi said: "Despite the very serious violation that occurred, this building was inaugurated in the presence of the then governor and local officials, and therefore the mayor, city council officials, and the then governor must be held accountable in the courts of law and the court of public opinion."

Gholamreza Shariati, the former governor of Khuzestan, also reacted to Raisi's statements in a letter to Raisi: "Instead of answering why the repeated warnings issued by the authorities over the past nine months have not been heeded, the executive vice president attributes the opening of the collapsed building, which was half-built and unfinished, to me, while he knows full well that the building that was opened is another building that was put into operation in 2019 (i.e. about two and a half years ago) and is now safe and in use."

Despite all this, Mustafa Hashemitaba wrote in an editorial in the Thursday issue of Sharq newspaper, titled "Don't worry, there will be no news," about the collapse of the Metropol: "According to past experience, after a while, by filing a case against the culprits and gradually, with various communications and arguments, the passage of time will include the culprits of this disaster and everything will return to the previous routine."

He wrote in another part of this article: "Of course, the aforementioned incident and the opinions of the country's executive and judicial authorities have more or less caused concern for some builders and owners of these buildings, and they have become fearful of the consequences of the work. Of course, this includes the inexperienced, otherwise the experienced or the experienced wolves continue to go to bed with peace of mind because they know that orders, like sparks of fire, will soon be consumed."

The Metropole commercial complex collapsed in Abadan on the afternoon of June 20. The reason for the collapse of the building has not been officially announced yet. However, the Structural Engineering Research Institute of the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering announced that the three main reasons for the collapse of the 10-story Metropole commercial complex in Abadan were the lack of attention to engineering systems, the builders' lack of attention to the warnings of supervising engineers, and the municipality's disregard for these warnings.

Source: Voice of America