A large explosion, possibly caused by chemicals, killed at least 25 people and injured more than 700 at Iran’s largest port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, Iranian state media reported.
Hossein Zafari, a spokesman for Iran’s crisis management organization, blamed the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers at Shahid Rajai port.
“The cause of the explosion was the chemicals in the containers,” he told Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“Previously, the chief director of crisis management gave warnings to this port during his visits and warned of possible dangers,” Zafari said.
However, an Iranian government spokesman said that although chemicals were likely to have caused the explosion, it was not yet possible to determine the exact cause.
President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the incident and sent the interior minister to the scene, who said that efforts to extinguish the fire and prevent its spread to other areas were continuing.
Iran’s official news channels broadcast footage of a huge black-and-orange cloud of smoke rising above the port after the explosion, and footage of an office building with its doors blown out and papers and debris strewn about.
Located near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, Shahid Rajai Port is Iran’s largest container hub, transporting most of the country’s containerized goods, according to state media.
In the explosion, windows with a diameter of several kilometers were broken, Iranian media reported.
