Protesters in Iran want justice as death toll from building collapses rises

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in southern Iran on Friday to demand justice after a tower block collapse killed 24 people, according to Iran news reports.

On Monday, a huge piece of the 10-story Metropol building in Abadan, Khuzestan province, collapsed, resulting in one of Iran’s biggest construction catastrophes in years.

Hundreds of locals marched through Abadan’s streets on Thursday night, beating on traditional drums and slamming cymbals to mourn those who had died, according to images carried by Fars news agency.

According to Fars, some screamed “Death to incompetent officials” and praised the “Martyrs of Metropol.”

People also flocked to the streets of Khorramshahr city, in the same province, to express their condolences to the victims’ families and to demand “decisive and severe” punishment of those guilty, according to the report.

According to official television, similar protests took place in Abadan on Wednesday night.

Rescue personnel were still discovering victims from behind slabs of cement more than four days after the tower block collapsed.

On Friday, rescuers were seen transporting a gurney with a body covered in a black bag, according to a video released on the Tasnim news agency’s website.

According to the ISNA news agency, Abadan governor Ehsan Abbaspour reported that the number of people killed in the accident has increased to 24, up from 19.

Officials reported 37 individuals were injured, but the majority of them have since been released from the hospital.

It’s unclear how many individuals are still buried beneath the rubble.

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