The Hindu : International : Veil set off mosque fire

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005

International

International

Veil set off mosque fire

TEHERAN, FEB. 15. At least 59 persons died and more than 250 were injured in a blaze that raged through a Teheran mosque after a female worshipper's veil caught fire from a kerosene heater, Iran's official news agency reported.

The Arg mosque was filled on Monday with about 400 of worshippers, more crowded than usual because of Muharram, a holy time for Shia Muslims. The mosque can hold 600 persons.

Outside one hospital where wounded were taken, 38-year-old Mansour, wailing and beating his chest, was searching for his wife and two young daughters. He had been at work at the time of the fire.

``I am desperate. I can't find them anywhere on any list, of any hospital,'' said Mansour, whose last name was drowned out by his screams.

``I wish I died instead of them. I had a lot of hope for them. But now all of them are burned,'' the bearded black-clad Mansour said, weeping.

IRNA said the fire started when the veil of a female worshipper caught the flames of a kerosene heater on the upper floor of the mosque. The flames spread to a thick green cloth that covered the ceiling and walls of the mosque in commemoration of the holy month.

Race for doors

Panicked people raced for the doors and smashed windows to escape the blaze, one witness said. Women, who pray on the second floor of the mosque separate from men, had to race down stairs and through a narrow doorway to exit. Many stumbled and were trampled in the frenzied stampede to escape. The mosque walls were charred, carpets were burned and religious books were destroyed. Burned shoes and women's black chadors left behind by fleeing worshippers were scattered in the mosque yard. The Teheran Police Chief, Brigadier General Morteza Talaie, said the death toll at midnight stood at 59, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. IRNA quoted rescue workers as saying more than 250 persons were injured.

Hospital records checked by The Associated Press showed that 40 of the deaths and the majority of the casualties were women. — AP

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