Total Disaster! Iran in Chaos as 17-Story Building Collapses...You Won't Believe How Many People Have Died (Video)

The scene of the tragic incident 

A tall building of 17-storeys has fallen after it caught fire killing many people in Tehran. At least 75 people in Tehran including 45 firefighters have been killed after responding to the huge fire in a commercial high rise building which caused the structure to collapse.

According to Iranian state media, it is believed people are still trapped beneath the rubble.

Emergency services, including ten fire engines, are still at the 17-storey tall Plasco building, where the blaze is still burning after breaking out at around 8am (5.30am GMT) on Thursday morning.

Dramatic footage showed the iconic structure collapsing in on itself in just a few seconds, taking out three fire trucks as it fell. Thick plumes of brown smoke filled the sky and onlookers screamed as the building came down.

At least 38 firefighters were taken to hospital, state media had reported earlier. It did not specify whether those injured were hurt by the blaze or the building's collapse.

The fire is now under control, fire department spokesperson Jalal Maleki said.

The 50-year-old Plasco, home to a major shopping centre, was one of Tehran's most recognisable landmarks.

Dozens of anxious shopkeepers and others desperate to save their valuables were kept back by police as firefighters continued to secure the scene.

The tower was built in the early 1960s by Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian and named after his plastics manufacturing company. At the time of its construction the Plasco was the tallest building on the city's skyline.

Below is are videos showing the moment the building collapsed: