Tuesday, February 15 2005 10:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tehran (Iran): Nearly 60 people perished and more than 200 others suffered burns when a fire swept through a Tehran mosque crammed with worshippers, police said.

The blaze broke out yesterday (Feb 14, 2005) as the faithful packed into the Ark mosque near the main bazaar in the capital for prayers just a few days before the major Shiite Muslim religious festival of Ashura, local media reported.

"Fifty-nine people were killed and 210 others injured," Mortezza Talaie, police chief in greater Tehran, was quoted as saying by public television.

Media reports said that the fire was probably caused by a heater brought into the mosque to protect worshippers from the bitter cold, which set a tent ablaze and spread flames like wildfire through the mosque's courtyard.

"The fire began on the women's side, then spread to the men's," said the police commander. "It was absolute panic, which explains the high number of injured. A lot of people were hurt in rushing towards the exits."

Victims had little time to escape. Many suffocated to death as smoke enveloped corridors and the seating area reserved for women.

"My two children were inside. My daughter got out, but I can't find my son," sobbed a woman outside the mosque.

Witnesses said that they saw women jumping out of windows five metres up as worshippers struggled to escape the blazing inferno.

The fire was brought under control by 16:30 hrs (GMT) (22:00 hrs IST) when the dead could be recovered and the wounded ferried to the local hospital away from the devastated courtyard, where shoes and garments littered the ground.