Thirty five reported dead in Iran mosque fire

Thirty-five people are reported dead and more than 100 injured following a fire in a Tehran mosque which was crowded with worshippers…

Thirty-five people are reported dead and more than 100 injured following a fire in a Tehran mosque which was crowded with worshippers for a major Shia Muslim festival.

The official IRNA news agency reported five had been killed while local journalists said there had been many injuries and the ISNA students news agency put the injury toll at the Arg mosque at 130.

A Reuters reporter driving to the mosque said roads had been blocked and ambulances were rushing from the scene.

ISNA reported a blast was heard, then tents inside the mosque caught fire. Terrified worshippers ran over each other trying to escape, some by smashing through windows.

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Shia Muslims are pouring into mosques to commemorate the death of the seventh century Shi'ite martyr Hossein, who was killed on the battlefield of Kerbala in Iraq.