Tens of thousands attend funeral of firefighters killed in Tehran building collapse – in pictures

The firefighters were killed when the 15-storey Plasco building, home to a shopping centre and hundreds of clothing suppliers, collapsed two weeks ago while emergency services were still evacuating people from a huge fire. Atta Kenare / AFP

The Plasco building was an iconic presence on the Tehran skyline. Atta Kenare / AFP

Iranians firefighters and mourners gather around the fire track carrying the coffins of firemen. President Hassan Rouhani ordered interior minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli to investigate and report the cause of the incident as soon as possible, Irna reported.. Atta Kenare / AFP

The crowds followed the fire truck as it made its way through the streets of Tehran. Atta Kenare / AFP

There were emotional scenes as the procession moved through the Iranian capital. Atta Kenare / AFP

Iranians poured on to the streets to remember the firefighters who lost their lives. Atta Kenare / AFP

The 15-story tower was built in the early 1960s by Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian and named after his plastics manufacturing company. It was the tallest building in the city at the time of its construction. Abedin Taherkenarah / EPA

Iranian firefighters remove debris of the Plasco building. Jalal Maleki, a fire department spokesman, told Iranian state television that 10 firehouses had responded to the blaze, which was first reported around 8am. He later said authorities had visited the building “many times” to warn them about conditions there. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

Tens of thousands of mourners on Monday attended the funeral of 16 firefighters killed in the collapse of a burning building in the Iranian capital Tehran earlier this month.