Iranian rescuers have removed three bodies from the rubble of a high-rise building in Tehran that collapsed after a fire, a spokesman says, as hopes of finding survivors trapped beneath the shopping centre begin to fade.
"Rescuers are tunneling under the rubble to try to reach the cellar of the Plasco building, but we have not succeeded yet," Tehran fire department Jalal Maleki told state television on Saturday.
The television quoted Maleki as saying equipment used to locate survivors had not given any indications on the third day of rescue efforts, and that "the probability of rescuing anyone alive from under the rubble is very low".
"The total number of those under the rubble, including the firemen, is a maximum of 25," Maleki said. "So far, three bodies have been brought out."
At least two of the recovered bodies belonged to firemen and a third injured fireman had died in hospital, state TV reported.
"This is a lesson and a warning for all officials over the security of the lives of citizens, which is a civil right," President Hassan Rouhani told state TV during a visit to the site of the building on Saturday, declared a day of national mourning.
The 17-storey building's managers had ignored repeated warnings about poor safety standards and the building's weak structure, Tehran's mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has said.
Authorities have estimated the damage at about $US500 million ($A661 million), and said that most of the shops and businesses were not insured because safety standards had not been met.
