CNN
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At least 28 people have been killed and 800 injured in a major explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, according to a state media report.
According to video geolocated by CNN, the explosion sent a huge plume of thick grey smoke from the Shahid Rajae section of the port complex.
Iranian Home Minister Eskandar Momeni said six people remain missing as firefighters continue to work to eliminate the flames despite the challenges posed by the strong winds, Iranian media reported.
No cause of the explosion was given. Government spokesman Fateme Mohajelani said it would take time to establish the cause, but “it has been decided so far that the containers were stored in the corner of the port where the potential for the explosion of chemicals was present.”
She added: “However, it is difficult to determine the cause until the fire goes out.”
The Iranian national oil refinery and distribution company said the explosion at the port had no connection to refineries, fuel tanks or oil pipelines “related to companies in the area.” This comes after Iranian official media reported that the explosion occurred after a fuel tanker at the port “exploded for unknown reasons.”
The incident prompted Iranian authorities to declare a state of emergency in Bandar Abbas city to protect citizens amid “a significant increase in air pollution”.
The Ministry of Health has mobilized health teams and implemented emergency measures to protect public health. According to Iran’s official media, citizens are advised to stay indoors, avoid outdoor activities and leave their windows closed.
Video distributed by MEHR News Agency showed surveillance footage at the moment of the explosion. This appears to have happened in a warehouse at the port. Other footage showed the helicopter dropping water to the fire that was ignited by the explosion.
State media said the debris was widespread and many of the buildings in the port complex were severely damaged. They said windows within a radius of several kilometers were crushed.
Some reports said people were trapped in the wreckage of a building that was reduced to a tiled rub.
The region’s governor, Mohammad Ashuri Tajiani, said the injured people had been moved to the medical centre in Bandar Abbas. According to state media, the port has been closed and maritime operations have been suspended.
Iranian President Masuud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the cause of the incident. He wrote to X that the Minister of Home Affairs was sent to the area to “find the dimensions of the accident.”
“After receiving the initial report and analysing the possible causes of the incident,” Pezeschkian emphasized the need to carry out a “comprehensive assessment of the causes of the incident” as soon as possible.
State Broadcasting Station Ilib said the explosion occurred in the port’s chemical and sulfur regions.
The incident shocked the country, and many people were seen on Iran’s state-run news television, lined up at health centres to donate blood for the injured.
Shahid Rajaee is a large facility for shipping containers covering 2,400 hectares (approximately 5,900 acres). It handles 70 million tonnes of cargo per year, including oil and general transportation. There are 500,000 square meters (5.4 million square feet) warehouses and 35 shipping berths.