Northwestern Iran city sees widespread destruction

已複製連結

Journalists from The Associated Press on Saturday witnessed widespread destruction at a Shiite religious complex in Zanjan, a city in northwestern Iran.

Residents in the city told the AP that an airstrike that hit the Grand Husayniyya of Zanjan on March 31 also caused damage to a library and clinic, within the complex, where people used to get treated for free. 

Part of the Husayniyya - a congregation hall for Shiite commemorations and rituals - is centuries-old.

Damage could be seen in the building's golden dome and nearby minaret. 

A nearby building within the complex was heavily destroyed. 

Workers were still cleaning up debris.

Jaafar Mohammadi, director general of cultural and Islamic guidance in Zanjan province, said the strike killed two people, including the caretaker of the library, Alirezza Soubatlo, and a volunteer with the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The library was home to more than 35,000 books, many of which are very old and handwritten.

Meanwhile, to the north, people were seen carrying suitcases as they walked towards Iran's border with Turkey, at Razi.