At least 516 people were injured in a massive explosion that rocked the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, according to state media.
The blast, which appeared to occur at Rajaei port , sent a huge plume of black smoke into the sky, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of Hormozgan province 's crisis management authority, told state TV that "the cause of this 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 centres," he said.
The explosion was so powerful that it could be felt and heard some 50 kilometres away, Fars news agency reported, with residents saying they could feel the ground shake even at a distance from the port.
"The shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged," Tasnim news agency reported, according to AFP
Rajaei port primarily handles container shipments and is also home to oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.
The state-owned National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, according to AFP, said in a statement carried by local media that "the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes or oil pipelines."
Hasanzadeh told Iranian state television that first responders were trying to reach the area while others were attempting to evacuate the site, reported news agency AP.
He said the blast came from containers at Rajaei port in the city.
Rajaei port mainly handles container traffic and also has oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.
The port, located about 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, sits on the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world’s traded oil passes.
The explosion occurred as Iran and the United States were holding a third round of negotiations in Oman over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
The blast, which appeared to occur at Rajaei port , sent a huge plume of black smoke into the sky, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of Hormozgan province 's crisis management authority, told state TV that "the cause of this 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 centres," he said.
The explosion was so powerful that it could be felt and heard some 50 kilometres away, Fars news agency reported, with residents saying they could feel the ground shake even at a distance from the port.
"The shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged," Tasnim news agency reported, according to AFP
Rajaei port primarily handles container shipments and is also home to oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.
The state-owned National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, according to AFP, said in a statement carried by local media that "the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes or oil pipelines."
Hasanzadeh told Iranian state television that first responders were trying to reach the area while others were attempting to evacuate the site, reported news agency AP.
He said the blast came from containers at Rajaei port in the city.
Rajaei port mainly handles container traffic and also has oil tanks and other petrochemical facilities.
The port, located about 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, sits on the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world’s traded oil passes.
The explosion occurred as Iran and the United States were holding a third round of negotiations in Oman over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
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