Social media videos show a huge plume of black smoke and a ball of fire rising from the area of the explosion.
TEHRAN — A massive explosion and fire at Iran’s largest commercial port has killed at least four people and injured more than 500 others, authorities say.
“Unfortunately, at least four deaths have been confirmed by rescuers,” Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Red Crescent Society’s Relief and Rescue Organisation, said on the state television on Saturday.
The Iranian state media reported that 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.
Iranian state television said initial reports indicate negligence in the storage of flammable materials at the site, while Tehran Times reported that the explosion of several containers was the initial cause of the blast.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director of Hormozgan province’s crisis management organisation, told state television that the injured have been transferred to medical facilities.
He said that safety officials had previously visited the site of the incident, and issued safety warnings.
لحظه #انفجار در بندر شهید رجایی #بندرعباس pic.twitter.com/aal6HkQmHJ
— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) April 26, 2025
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.
Earlier, Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration official Esmaeil Malekizadeh said the explosion took place near the Shahid Rajaei port dock.
Social media videos showed a huge plume of black smoke and a ball of fire rising from the area of the explosion.
Other videos showed damage to buildings and vehicles. Several people were also seen around the area attending to the injured and checking the damage to the properties.
Shahid Rajaei port mainly handles container traffic and also has oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.
In May 2020, Israel was accused of launching a major cyberattack on the same port, causing transport chaos for days after crashing the facility’s computer system.
The blast comes at a sensitive time as Iranian officials continue to engage in talks with United States officials on a possible new nuclear deal.
C. Al Jazeera
