13 killed, 6 injured in blast at Tehran clinic

Thirteen people have been killed and six injured in an explosion at a medical clinic in the north of the Iranian capital Tehran, the media reported on Wednesday, quoting a state official.

The blast was triggered by a gas leak, Tehran Deputy Governor Hamid Reza Goudarzi told state television, even as the Iran’s State TV showed the moment of an explosion after the initial blast started a huge blaze, as well as emergency services responding to the incident.

Ten women and three men died in the explosion, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said on the TV. A fire touched off by the blast has been extinguished, Jalal Maleki, the Tehran Fire Department spokesman said on state TV.

The clinic, which had 25 employees inside at the time of the blast, primarily carries out minor surgery and medical imaging, Harirchi said.