The explosion rocked Shahid Rajaee, the country’s largest commercial port, with the cause of the incident not immediately known
At least five people were killed and more than 700 injured in a massive explosion at the Port of Shahid Rajaee in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran on Saturday, local media reported, citing local officials.
The port is located around 23km west of Bandar Abbas and immediately to the north of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which around a fifth of global oil output flows. The facility is Iran’s largest commercial port.
Videos circulating online suggest the blast was preceded by a smaller explosion that sparked a fire at the port. They show a large column of smoke and dust towering above the port.
The explosion apparently ignited freight containers stored at the port, as another video shows a large wall of thick black smoke above the stockpile.
The blast left the port’s structures badly damaged, with multiple buildings partially collapsed, videos show.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known, with Iranian media providing conflicting accounts of the incident from local officials. Some reports suggest the initial blast occurred at an administrative building, while others indicate that a gas tanker may have exploded at the port. Some, however, suggest that the epicenter was located at the freight container stockpile.
“The source of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centers,” a local crisis management official said.
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