Tehran tragedy: number of killed in high-rise collapse unknown (VIDEO)

Iranian rescuers voiced the number of victims of the high-rise building in Tehran, collapsed due to the fire.

According to rescuers, at least 75 people, including 45 firefighters, who had been called in to battle the blaze, have been killed.

Over 200 people injured in the fire were transferred to medical facilities, IRNA news agency reported.

Dozens of firefighters are feared dead after a major commercial building in Tehran collapsed following a huge fire, state media reported.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued an executive order, in which he called upon Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli to investigate the cause of fire which led to the collapse of the Plasco Building in central Tehran.

He also ordered the ministry to ensure the injured were cared for and to take immediate action to compensate those affected by the disaster.

The Fars news agency, quoting an unnamed source, reported that 30 firefighters were feared to have died in the blaze and ensuing collapse.

The fire at Plasko Shopping Center, close to Ferdowsi Square, begun at 8th and 9th floors at 7:30 a.m. and quickly took other floors due to inflammatory material. More than 200 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze, some trapped inside as the building collapsed. Initial efforts failed to bring the blaze under control.

Ambulances were around and searches were going on for those trapped inside. Police has cordoned off an area surrounding the site, warning that gas leak may cause more fire.

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has arrived at the site. Embassies of Russia, England, Turkey, and Germany are within a close proximity of the inflicted area. Embassy staff are safe and have been evacuated, according to a security official. Army units have been dispatched to the area.

The 53-year-old building was one of the oldest shopping centers in Tehran, home to a hundreds of boutiques.