Metropole accident death toll rises to 22 dead, 48 injured

On Friday, June 26, the CEO of the Khuzestan Red Crescent Society announced the latest death toll from the Metropole Tower collapse in Abadan at 22 and the number of injured at 48.

Wahid Shabani continued, "The unstable conditions of the structures have increased the risk of secondary accidents in the area and have made the debris removal operation complex and difficult."

These statements come at the same time that Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi announced on Thursday, four days after the Metropole Tower collapse, the transfer of "newer excavation facilities and equipment" to Abadan.

Mr. Vahidi also called the incident a "crime" and called for "severe punishment" for the perpetrators, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting.

This is despite the announcement by the Khuzestan Prosecutor's Office of the identity of the body of Hossein Abdolbaqi, the main suspect and owner and contractor of the Abadan Metropole building, that many doubts have been raised about his death.

The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of the capital of Khuzestan province said on Thursday, June 25, that the identity of the body of Hossein Abdolbaqi, the main suspect and owner and contractor of the Abadan Metropole building, has been confirmed by forensic medicine through genetic (DNA) analysis.

Sadegh Jafari Chegni added that the body had previously been identified by the deceased's family and the provincial police's identification department had confirmed his identity through fingerprinting.

Hussein Abdul Baqi, the builder and owner of the tower, is accused of carrying out illegal construction with the green light of city officials and collusion with officials. Provincial judicial officials have said that the current and two former mayors of Abadan have been arrested.

In the past three days, conflicting reports have been published about Mr. Abdulbaqi's fate, with some social media users saying he is alive.

On Wednesday evening, protesters chanted "Abdulbaqi is not dead/Lies, lies" in response to the collapse of the Metropol building in Abadan.

Large parts of the large Metropole Tower collapsed on June 20, and reports indicate that dozens of people may still be trapped under the rubble.

As of Friday, officials have refused to provide statistics or estimates of the number of people trapped under the rubble in conversations with local news agencies.

Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, said about reports that 50 people were trapped under the rubble: "No one can confirm or deny these numbers."

Some users have said that the smell of bodies can be smelled from the scene of the accident.

Abadan University of Medical Sciences also issued a statement on Thursday warning about the health risks of releasing materials used in construction materials after demolition, urging the people of Abadan to stay away from the Metropol accident site.

According to university officials, "the materials used in construction range from completely harmless to carcinogenic materials that are rendered harmless during construction using certain methods, but are released into the atmosphere during demolition and can threaten people's health."

Also on Thursday, a three-member expert delegation, including the advisor to the First Vice President, the head of the Housing and Urban Development Research Center, and the deputy minister for civil affairs at the Ministry of Interior, visited the site of the destroyed Metropol building in Abadan.

Reports indicate that the atmosphere in Abadan is extremely security-conscious and that severe disruptions and restrictions have been imposed on the internet.

Source: Radio Farda