Suspected chemical blast at Iran's Bandar Abbas port kills at least 18

The death toll from a devastating explosion that rocked the sprawling Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran has risen to 18, according to officials, with at least 750 others injured.

In an interview with the state broadcaster, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management of Hormozgan province, confirmed that 18 people have so far been declared dead.

He said all agencies were immediately mobilised after the explosion was reported early on Saturday, adding that the situation is under control and efforts are underway to extinguish the fire.

The number of injured has been steadily rising. The National Emergency Organisation in its latest update, said at least 750 people have been injured and transferred to nearby hospitals so far.

To meet the blood supply needs for the injured, blood shipments have been sent to the city of Bandar Abbas from the provinces of Gilan, Tehran, Yazd, Hamedan, Kerman, North Khorasan, and Isfahan.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a statement on X, expressed sorrow and sympathy with the victims and issued an order to investigate the causes of the incident.

He said Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was dispatched to the region as his special representative “to conduct a thorough investigation into the dimensions of the incident, ensure necessary coordination, and attend to the condition of the injured.”

Speaking to the media from the site of the incident, Momeni said an aerial inspection was conducted over the site, but the fire has not been fully extinguished yet.

Images emerging from the site of the explosion show massive fire and plumes of smoke in the air.

Local media reported that a fire broke out at around 12 pm local time (0830 GMT) at the Shahid Rajaee Port, specifically in the container dock area, adding that the initial reports suggest the presence of flammable materials near the site of the explosion.

Quoting eyewitnesses, reports said the minor fire quickly spread and triggered the explosion due to the 40°C temperature and the accumulation of flammable substances.

In a statement, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said the explosion and fire at the Shahid Rajaee Port are not related to the refineries, fuel storage tanks, or the distribution facilities and oil pipelines associated with this company.

Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has instructed the provincial authorities in Hormozgan to submit a preliminary report on the incident, his office said in a statement.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Aref had separate phone calls with the governor of Hormozgan Province and the head of the Red Crescent Society, issuing necessary directives; his office said.

He ordered a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the explosion at the port and immediate assistance to the injured.

In a directive, Iran’s Customs Administration instructed all customs offices to halt the dispatch of export and transit shipments destined for Shahid Rajaee Customs at Bandar Abbas until further notice.

The strategically important port, located in the southern Hormozgan province, lies around 15 kilometres southwest of the port of Bandar Abbas on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz.

There is still no precise information on the number of casualties, but the explosion was so intense that it could have caused extensive damage, local media reported.

The intensity and scale of the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee Port have drawn comparisons with the Beirut Port explosion in August 2020, which killed more than 200 people.

___

Source: TRT