Protests against authorities in Iran have continued a week after a tragic building collapse, according to videos posted on social media.
In Khuzestan province, where the incomplete building collapsed last Monday, enraged crowds have taken to the streets every night.
The dead toll has risen to 34, with four persons still missing, according to the state news agency Irna.
For years, the tragedy in Abadan has been the bloodiest of its kind in Iran.
According to Irna, thirteen persons have been arrested in connection with the collapse, including the mayor, two former mayors, and the building function Object() { [native code] }.
Protesters, on the other hand, are condemning the government as a whole, accusing it of carelessness and corruption.
Demonstrations have reportedly taken place in other regions of Iran, according to Reuters, with cries of “Death to Khamenei!” – a reference to Iran’s supreme leader – heard on unverified video posted on social media and alleged to have taken place in the south of the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday night.
According to Reuters, similar screams were heard at protesters in the southern port city of Bushehr.
A preacher sent by the ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was yelled down on Sunday as he attempted to address mourners near the collapse site.
According to the Associated Press news agency, he was heard whispering to a bodyguard, “What’s going on?” before attempting to calm the mob, which erupted in screams of “Shameless!”
According to local media, several rushed a platform used by state TV that was broadcasting the event, cutting off the feed.
According to Reuters, police used force against protesters in the area, while unconfirmed video purportedly showed fighting between police and demonstrators in other unspecified locations.
Meanwhile, a search and rescue operation is underway at the collapsed 10-story Metropol office building.
The bottom floors of the building, on Abadan’s busiest business thoroughfare, had been open for a few days, according to Irna, while construction work on the upper floors continued.
The event has prompted concerns about the country’s building safety requirements.
The region was devastated during the 1980s Iraq-Iran conflict, and many of the reconstruction projects were criticised for poor construction practises.
