TEHRAN -- An explosion and fire at Iran’s largest commercial port on Saturday killed at least four people and injured more than 500 others, authorities said.
“Unfortunately, at least four deaths have been confirmed by rescuers,” Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Red Crescent Society’s Relief and Rescue Organization, said.
At least 516 people were injured at the explosion at Shahid Rajaei port, located more than 1,000km (620 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.
Initial reports indicated negligence in the storage of flammable materials at the site. Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of the province’s crisis management authority, said the cause of the incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area.
“We are currently evacuating and transporting the injured to nearby medical centers,” he said.
He said that safety officials had previously visited the site of the incident, and issued safety warnings.
President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for the victims of the deadly blast, adding he had “issued an order to investigate the situation and the causes”, sending Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to look into the incident.
The National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company issued a statement saying oil facilities in the area were not affected by the blast.
“The explosion and fire in Shahid Rajaei Port have no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes and oil pipelines related to this company,” the company said.
It added that “Bandar Abbas oil facilities are currently operating without interruption”.
Earlier, Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration official Esmaeil Malekizadeh said the explosion took place near the Shahid Rajaei port dock.
Shahid Rajaei port mainly handles container traffic and also has oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.