TEHRAN, 16 February 2005 — Iranian President Mohammad Khatami yesterday ordered an immediate probe into a fire at a Tehran mosque that killed at least 60 worshippers gathered for prayers ahead of a major Shiite religious festival. Police said that a stampede triggered by panic was to blame for the high death toll in Monday’s disaster, while many worshippers had suffocated to death from the smoke.
“It was absolute panic... A lot of people were hurt in rushing toward the exits,” said a police commander.
Survivors accused authorities in the Iranian capital Tehran of responding too slowly to save many of the victims. At least 230 people remained hospitalized yesterday. Men, women and children were killed trying to escape. “I saw people running. It was like a horror movie,” said 14-year-old Zahra, whose leg was broken after being trampled by terrified worshippers. “I was scared and could not breathe.”
Tehran police chief Morteza Talai told state television on Monday: “The basic safety rules, including installation of a kerosene heater very close to a curtain, was ignored.” Tehran’s fire chief, Ahmad Ziai, defended the rescue effort. “The fire workers and other rescuers immediately attended at the scene and prevented spread of fire,” he told state television.
“The worshippers were panicked. Many of them were wounded while fleeing.” Some survivors and family, however, blamed authorities for not responding fast enough. “Rescue teams did not arrive timely. There were few ambulances to take the injured ones to nearby hospitals,” said Mohsen, a 47-year-old shopkeeper who lost his wife and daughter in the mosque ablaze. “My daughter could be alive now, if the rescue operation was faster,” Mohsen said, bursting into tears at Tehran’s Sina hospital.
The blaze broke out as the faithful were packed for evening prayers inside the Ark mosque near Tehran’s main bazaar, when panicked screams rang out from the women’s section, state television reported.
