At least 4 killed in explosion at Iran port

At least four people have been killed in an explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port on the Persian Gulf coast.

Report informs via Iranian media that the state broadcaster IRIB confirmed the figures.

"So far, the deaths of four people as a result of the explosion at Shahid Rajaee port have been confirmed," the channel said.

15:54

The number of people injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee port, located on the Persian Gulf coast in southern Iran, has risen to 516.

According to Report, which cites Russian media, that Babak Yekta Parast, a representative of Iran’s emergency services, has confirmed the figures.

He did not provide any information about fatalities.

15:29

The number of people injured in the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port on the Persian Gulf coast has surpassed 406.

Report informs via Iranian media that local Iranian authorities confirmed the updated figures

Earlier, Babak Yekta Parast, a representative of Iran’s emergency services, had reported that the number of injured from the explosion had reached 281.

14:53

The number of people injured in the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port has reached 115, Report informs via Russian media.

Earlier, a representative of the Hormozgan Province's emergency services had reported 80 injured as a result of the explosion.

14:43

At least 80 people have been injured and transported to the hospital in a massive explosion and fire strike that hit the Shahid Rajaee port in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, a semi-official Tasnim News Agency announced on Saturday, Report informs via The National.

The Crisis Management Headquarters immediately declared an alert in all hospitals in Bandar Abbas, the agency said.

The port's activities were suspended to extinguish the fire and considering the large number of port employees, "many people were probably injured or even killed in the incident," the agency added.

National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said the blast didn't impact energy facilities.

"The cause 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 centres," a local crisis management official told state TV.

A local official told Reuters that the reason behind the explosions was not yet known.

The blast occurred as Iran began a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman.

The distance between Bandar Abbas and the Omani shoreline is approximately 84 kilometers, underscoring the city's strategic proximity to the Gulf nation.

Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, is Iran's principal southern port city, strategically located on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz.

The city's prominence is further underscored by the presence of the Shahid Rajaee port, which handles a significant portion of Iran's container traffic and is equipped to accommodate large vessels.

The blast shattered windows within a radius of several kilometers, Iranian media said, with footage shared online showing a mushroom cloud forming following the explosion.