HRANA – A disabled student died on Tuesday in a fire at an exhibition organized by the Student Basij at the Mahshahr campus of Azad University in commemoration of the “Liberation of Khorramshahr”.

According to information received by HRANA, the fire broke out when an electrical cable caught on fire inside the exhibition tent. Reports indicate that the fire was caused by the organizer’s failure to comply with basic safety standards; a single outlet strip of inappropriate electrical capacity was used to power multiple cooling devices and flammable materials were used for the exhibition tent. As a result, once the fire started, it spread uncontrollably and the surging flames engulfed the area at frightening speed.

Most students and individuals at the scene were able to escape but some students, like “Gholam Reza Ghanbari”, were not so lucky and lost their lives. Mr. Ghanbari, who was disabled and in a wheelchair, was unable to escape and burned in front of the helpless and traumatized survivors. Other individuals suffered from minor injuries.

Upon seeing this devastating scene, students began to protest vehemently but were severely dealt with by university security forces.

University officials have closed the university until further notice in order to control the student protests in response to this tragic event.