The poor construction of blocks of apartments is to be investigated by government officials in Iran after they collapsed during an earthquake. Reports by several media outlets in the country claim that the building standards of the low-cost flats contributed to the death toll of 530 people. Critics said that the rush to build low-cost homes on the Mehr housing project had turned the buildings “into coffins for its inhabitants”. President Hassan Rouhani has promised to “identify the culprits” if it emerged that the poor quality had contributed to the deaths of so many during the 7.3 magnitude quake. The majority of the deaths were in the town of Sarpol-e-Zahab, which had been destroyed in the Iran-Iraq war and has been completely rebuilt since. Photographs showed rows of apartment blocks with their façades sheered off by the earthquake. Mr Rouhani promised the “government will definitely follow up on these issues and identify the culprits.” He added: “The faults and shortcomings in the construction of these buildings should be investigated.”
User login
