Protesters In Abadan Demand Justice Following Deadly Building Collapse

rferl.org – Hundreds of residents in Abadan, the capital of the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan, took to the streets on May 26 for the second consecutive night to protest the deadly collapse of an unfinished building and demand justice.

Protesters called for the trial of those responsible for the accident, including Abadan’s mayor and city council officials.

Amateur video posted online also showed some demonstrators chanting slogans against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including “ We don’t want an incompetent leader.”

Others blasted a large May 26 gathering of regime supporters in Tehran’s 100,000-capacity Azadi stadium, which critics said was held when residents in Abadan are still mourning their dead.

Protests were reportedly also held in other cities , including in Khoramshahr and in Isfahan where citizens expressed support for the people of Abadan and chanted slogans against authorities.

The protests came amid reports of Internet disruptions with the web monitoring group Netblocks confirming “a disruption of Internet connectivity across Iran.”

Meanwhile, authorities announced that the death toll in the May 23 collapse of a building that was under construction stood at 24, up from 19, making it one of the country’s deadliest such disasters in years.

Officials said 37 people were also injured, although most have since been discharged from hospital.

It is not clear how many people may still be trapped under the rubble.

A video posted on Iranian state media on May 27 showed rescuers carrying a gurney with a body encased in a black bag.

In a May 26 statement, Khamenei called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted and punished.

The provincial judiciary said at least 10 people were arrested following the incident, including the mayor and two former mayors, who are accused of being “responsible” for the collapse, the Judiciary’s Mizan news site reported.

In a previous major disaster in Iran, 22 people, including 16 firefighters, died in a blaze that engulfed the capital’s 15-story Plasco shopping center in January 2017.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber visited Abadan on May 27 to “investigate the dimensions of the building collapse incident,” Iranian media reported.