29 killed, 38 missing in building collapse in SW Iran

TEHRAN - The death toll in a 10-story commercial building collapse in southwestern Iranian city of Abadan rose to 29, while a total of 38 people have been reported missing, semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a top provincial official as saying on Sunday.

Khuzestan Province's Governor Sadeq Khalilian told reporters on the sidelines of a visit to the site of the incident that 29 bodies have been recovered from the debris so far, of which three are unidentified.

He said the rescue work is still underway to find the rest of the trapped bodies, assuring that the operations will continue until the last casualty is evacuated.

The exact number of the people trapped under the rubble is still unknown as the search operation has been going slowly and carefully for the fear of the remaining parts of the building and adjacent structures falling down.

Iran announced a day of national mourning on Sunday to honor the victims of the 10-story building's partial collapse.

The Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary reported that 10 people were arrested for the incident, in which the building's owner and contractor were killed.

The under-construction building, known as Metropol, was on a crowded street in downtown Abadan, surrounded by commercial and medical complexes and offices. Parts of the building collapsed suddenly on Monday, trapping dozens of people beneath the rubble.