At least eight dead and 750 injured in explosion at South Iranian port

TEHRAN, April 26 - At least eight people were killed and 750 others injured in a massive explosion that occurred on Saturday at a port in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, the official IRNA news agency reported. Six people are missing in the incident, which occurred at the port of Shahid Rajaee, according to IRNA.

According to the Chinese Consulate General in Bandar Abbas, three Chinese citizens suffered minor injuries in the blast. They are now in good condition after receiving treatment. Ahmad Pouyafar, the governor of the provincial capital of Bandar Abbas, announced that all educational centres throughout the city would be closed on Sunday due to the blast and the subsequent air pollution. Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Organisation, told the semi-official Fars news agency that the explosion was caused by chemical material in a container at the port.

Meanwhile, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani warned against any "hasty speculation" about the cause of the incident until the authorities complete their investigation. She added that it had so far been confirmed that there were containers, possibly containing chemical material, in one corner of the port.

Rapid response teams and rescue workers have been dispatched to the scene and all port activity has been suspended, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said, adding that the number of injured is likely to increase. Iranian President Masoud Pezeskian expressed his condolences to the victims of the blast in a post on X and announced that he had ordered an investigation into the blast and the cause of the incident. He added that Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has been dispatched to the province to ensure the necessary coordination and address the condition of the injured.

Later in the day, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences to the Iranian government and people, deep sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani ordered Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari to coordinate with his Iranian counterpart to assess the incident and provide immediate assistance, according to a brief statement from al-Sudani's media office.

xinhua/gnews.cz-jav