DHAKA: Dozens of firefighters were killed when a high-rise building collapsed after a blaze in Iran's capital, state-run Press TV reported Thursday.

The broadcaster put the death toll at 30 at Tehran's iconic Plasco building. It gave no source for the information. NBC News could not independently confirm Press TV's report.

Iranian authorities did not immediately release definitive casualty figures.

However, state-run TV outlet quoted Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying “about 25 firefighters are trapped inside and rescue teams are trying to get them out.”

State TV as said at least 75 people, including 45 firefighters, had been injured.

Local media said that more than 200 firefighters were on the scene at the time of the building's collapse.

The tower is attached to a multistory shopping mall and is located just north of the city's sprawling bazaar.

It remains unclear how the fire began but Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported it started on the ninth floor.

Live footage aired on Iranian television showed the incident.

A firefighter could be seen perched on a ladder spraying water onto the burning building as it fell.

Jalal Maleki, a fire department spokesman, told Iranian state television that 10 fire stations responded to the blaze, which was first reported around 8 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday).

The 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.

BDST: 1945 HRS, JAN 19, 2017
AP