Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on January 20 extended condolences to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the deadly high-rise collapse in Tehran.

Tajik leader also asked to convey his deep condolences to families and relatives of those killed in the building collapse.  

Media reports say two hundred had battled the blaze in the landmark 17-story Plasco building in Tehran for several hours before it fell to the ground on January 19.  

At least 20 firefighters were killed when the high-rise building caught fire and collapsed, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted as saying by Iranian state-run media outlets. 

Iranian state media report that some 50 people were killed and some 75 others injured after the high-rise building in downtown Tehran caught fire and collapsed.  

Completed in 1962, the building was once Tehran's tallest and contained a shopping center and clothing workshops.

BBC reports that the cause of the fire is not known, but several officials said managers had been warned about safety issues.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli to investigate the incident, calling it “extremely sad and unfortunate.”

The Plasco building was built by the Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian and was named after his company, which manufactured plastics.  He was executed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution after being convicted of spying for Israel.