Iran indicts 20 over Abadan building collapse that killed 43

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – In a high-profile case that has hogged headlines for weeks, Iran's judiciary on Thursday issued indictments against 20 people over the deadly collapse of a commercial building in the southwestern Abadan city in May.

In a statement, the judiciary's media wing said the indictments have been issued against the accused individuals and will be sent to a criminal court in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province, for further proceedings.

The ten-story Metropol building collapsed on May 23 in what was described as one of the deadliest disasters in Iran in recent years.

At least 43 people were killed in the incident, which brought to fore rampant corruption in the system, sparking countrywide protests.

It took several weeks for emergency agencies to recover dead bodies from under the debris, during which many top officials visited the accident site.

Mizan Online, a website affiliated with Iran's judiciary, said considering the "significance of the matter and scope of the incident," the case has been "carefully evaluated" in the special prosecutor's office in Ahvaz.

It said all the defendants in the case are presently in the custody with warrants, without revealing their identity or charges they face.

It, however, confirmed that the building owner, who was initially believed to be absconding, also died in the incident.

Ghulam Abbas Turki, Iran's deputy attorney general who had been deputed to Abadan to lead the probe, said the city municipality had a 4.5% share in the project with the construction firm and bears responsibility for "not fulfilling its supervisory duty."

He also blamed the city administration for "shortcomings and faults" in the project.

The Metropol building collapse has since sparked angry protests across the country, with people blaming such incidents on systemic corruption and negligence.

According to reports, there are around 33,000 to 34,000 buildings deemed unsafe in Tehran alone, of which more than 100 buildings are in dangerous conditions.