At least 281 people were injured as a result of a massive explosion and a fire in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, officials and state media announced on Saturday.
The explosion occurred in the Sina container site, affiliated with the Iranian organization of ports and sea, more than 1,000 kilometers south of Tehran, according to Iranian Customs Authority.
Emergency services said the injured had been transferred to medical facilities in the Hormozgan province. The authorities launched an initial investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Iranian state television quoted Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of the Hormozgan Crisis Management Agency, saying that security officials had previously issued warnings on the storage of flammable materials on the site.
Social media images have shown thick black smoke and large flames rising from the affected area. Other videos have shown damage to the nearby buildings and vehicles, those who take care of the injured.
ESMAEIL MALEKIZADEH, an official of the ports of Hormozgan and the maritime administration, said that the explosion was performing near the platform of Shahid Rajaei, a major center for container traffic and petrochemical storage.
In 2020, the port of Shahid Rajaei was also the target of a suspected cyber attack attributed to Israel, which disrupted operations for several days.
Authorities said that a more detailed investigation into Saturday’s incident was underway.
