Nearly 516 people have been injured in a massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee port dock in southern Iran, the local media reported on Saturday.
The cause of the blast at the country’s largest commercial port in Hormozgan province is yet to be known. No casualties have been reported so far.
“The explosion occurred in a part of the Shahid Rajaee port dock, and we are extinguishing the fire,” state TV quoted a regional port official as saying.
What we know so far:
‘Most port buildings severely damaged’
The blast has left several port building “severely damaged”. “The shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged,” Tasnim news agency said.
The explosion was so intense that it was felt and heard as far as 50 kilometers away, according to Fars news agency. Residents reported feeling the ground shake, even from a distance from the port.
Probe ordered
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref instructed an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion and evaluate the damage, according to the ISNA news agency.
A state-owned media, however, noted that the explosion “at Shahid Rajaee Port has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes or oil pipelines.”
“Bandar Abbas oil facilities are currently operating without interruption,” it added.
It follows one of Iran’s deadliest work accidents in recent years. In September, a coal mine blast caused by a gas leak in Tabas, eastern Iran, killed over 50 people, leading authorities to declare a period of public mourning.
