At least 7 killed as explosion levels 3 residential buildings in NW Iran

TEHRAN, March 12– At least seven people were killed and five others were injured as three residential buildings collapsed entirely on Sunday due to an explosion in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, semi-official Fars news agency reported. The explosion, which occurred at 03:00 a.m. local time in a two-story building, completely leveled the building…

TEHRAN, March 12 (Xinhua) — At least seven people were killed and five others were injured as three residential buildings collapsed entirely on Sunday due to an explosion in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The explosion, which occurred at 03:00 a.m. local time (2330 GMT) in a two-story building, completely leveled the building and two neighboring ones, said Mohammad-Baqer Honarbar, director general of East Azarbaijan province’s Crisis Management Organization.

He added that the explosion also caused damage to 100 nearby buildings, shattering windows.

The authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion, the Fars news agency noted, adding that two of the injured had been transferred to medical centers.

Meanwhile, the official news agency IRNA said one person was pulled out alive from rubbles as rescue work continues. Enditem