TEHRAN – The 32nd Fajr International Music Festival came to end on Friday night with a big shock over the collapse of the Plasco Building in Tehran after a fierce fire in the 17-storey commercial center on Thursday.

All the festival’s closing performances were dedicated to the victims of the incident.

In a statement published on Thursday, the organizers expressed their condolences over the deaths of some firefighters who lost their lives during the rescue operations.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri also sent a message of condolences to the families of the firefighters.

“Today the people of Iran and the world are worried for the lives of the brave firefighters trapped under rubble,” reads part of the message.

“The disastrous incident in Tehran depicts a tableau full of pain and sacrifice, which is unique in its kind. The sudden collapse of the building has led to a great loss and the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of the people have painted this tableau with the beautiful colors of fire and blood. May God bless their souls,” the message says.

Pop singers Mohsen Yeganeh and Xaniar Khosravi asked the audience to observe a minute’s silence for the victims. They also gave their performances in honor of the victims.

The Young Musicians European Orchestra and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra gave their joint concert on Thursday in memoir of the victims of Iran’s Plasco victims and Italy’s avalanche.

Italy’s Apennine Mountains experienced an avalanche that swept over a small resort hotel on Wednesday. The avalanche occurred after four earthquakes struck central Italy.

The Fajr festival was brought to an end on Friday honoring the winners. The honorees and the winners will be announced in a separate news release to be published on Sunday.

Iran’s state radio canceled all its comedy programs on Thursday and Friday out of respect for the victims.

Several artists and musicians also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims in separate messages published on social media channels.

Photo: Paolo Olmi conducts a joint concert by the Young Musicians European Orchestra and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on January 19, 2017. (Mehr/Mehran Riazi)

RM/YAW