At least 500 injured in huge explosion at Iran port city of Bandar Abbas

A massive explosion and fire broke out at the port in Bandar Abbas city, Iran on Saturday. Reports suggest that a total of 516 people have been injured in the blast. However, official confirmation is yet to be out regarding any fatalities. 

Officials have described the explosion as ‘severe’. According to Iranian media reports, the number of injured has reached 516. Many of the injured have been admitted to hospitals in Hormozgan province.

As per Iranian media, at least four were dead and over 500 injured so far, according to the Red Crescent Society.

The director general of Hormozgan’s crisis management department, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, told local media that an explosion occurred in the containers at Rajaee Port in southern Hormozgan Province. There is chaos all around the site. Ambulance teams have been dispatched, and rescue operations are in full swing. Police teams and others are evacuating the surrounding areas.

Risk to crude oil and petrochemical tanks

According to media reports, many videos of the explosion are going viral on social media. The videos show massive black smoke clouds rising into the sky. Rajaee Port mainly handles container traffic. Since there are tanks containing crude oil and petrochemical products at the port, extreme caution is being exercised after the explosion. Due to the explosion, all operations at the port have been completely halted.