Iran workers hurt in paper mill blaze

A fire at a paper factory in Iran has seen dozens of workers taken to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation.

2 min read

28 January, 2018

Dozens of workers were injured in the Khorambid factory fire [AFP]

A fire at a paper mill in southern Iran injured a number of factory workers, local media reported Saturday.

According to TV reports from state media, 11 workers were taken to local hospitals and 20 received on-site treatment with less severe injuries.

The report said firefighters are still trying to put out the fire in the town of Khorambid, some 700 kilometres (435 miles) south of the capital Tehran.

It did not elaborate on the cause of the fire.

Iran's ageing paper manufacturing plants - hard hit by years of Western sanctions - suffer occasional accidents, including fires. Many incidents have also been blamed on disregard of safety measures.

On Wednesday a fire at a bitumen storage facility in southern Iran killed three workers and injured two others.

Hundreds of other Iranians have been injured and killed after a wave of earthquakes took place across the country in recent months.

In November, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck western Iran, killing more than 600 and injuring more than 9,000. Sarpol-e Zahab suffered half of the temblor's casualties.

Shortly after November's quake, rescuers used backhoes and heavy equipment to dig through the debris of buildings to find corpses.

Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.