Rescue Operations Continue at Plasco Building; Victim Count Reaches 15

Reports indicate that during the ongoing rescue operations at the site of the Plasco building collapse in Tehran, on Wednesday, February 6, the bodies of at least eight firefighters were recovered from the rubble. Thus, the total number of victims of the Plasco incident has reached 11 firefighters and four civilians. Tehran's forensic medicine has announced that the identities of six of the deceased have been identified so far. Meanwhile, Tehran municipality officials have stated that 15,000 tons of debris have been removed from the site, and the rescue operations are expected to conclude by the end of Wednesday. The Plasco building, which housed textile production and sales units, caught fire on January 28 but later collapsed due to multiple explosions. Additionally, Mojtaba Abdollahi, Tehran's deputy mayor, stated that at the request of the families of the victims and the missing, the funeral ceremony for the firefighters, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed. Several social media users have strongly criticized the way information about the Plasco incident has been communicated and have also called for the resignation of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran. On the other hand, the Iranian cabinet made decisions regarding the employees of the Plasco building and established a special team to address this incident during their meeting on Wednesday. According to Mohammad Shariatmadari, the executive vice president of Iran, it has been decided that 720 individuals employed at the Plasco building will benefit from four months of unemployment insurance. The 53-year-old Plasco building was home to 600 production and commercial units, providing employment for six percent of people in Iran's garment industry. Of these economic units, only 160, or 25 percent, were insured. The Iranian vice president further stated that those who had insurance or whose insurance had lapsed would benefit from a minimum wage of 500,000 tomans and its benefits, coordinated between the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare and the Chamber of Guilds. According to IRNA news agency, he added, 'Following the president's order to address the situation of this incident, a special team of ministers, experienced professors, and other experts has been formed, and the matter is under review, with results to be communicated to the public.' The House of Representatives news agency has reported that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, and Mohammad Reza Rezaei Kouchi, the head of the Civil Commission, will report to the parliament next week regarding the Plasco incident. The Minister of Interior announced on Wednesday that 'all evidence indicates' that the cause of the Plasco building fire was 'an electrical connection.'