406 Injured As Massive Explosion Strikes At Port In Southern Iran
The number of injured from an explosion in southern Iran has jumped to 406, reports news agency AP, quoting state-run IRNA news agency. Earlier, IRNA attributed a previous figure of 281 injured to Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman of Iran’s National Emergency Organisation, before the reported injuries rose again.
The blast took place at the Rajaei port just outside of Bandar Abbas, which is a major facility of the container shipments for the Islamic Republic that handles some 80 million tons (72.5 million metric tons) of goods a year.
According to news agency AP, the authorities have offered no cause for the explosion yet. The industrial accidents happen in Iran, particularly at its ageing oil facilities that struggle for access to parts under international sanctions. But Iranian state TV specifically ruled out any energy infrastructure as causing or being damaged, the report further stated. However, the Iranian state TV specifically ruled out any energy infrastructure as causing or being damaged in the blast.
Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, told Iranian state TV, according to news agency AP, that the first responders were trying to reach the area while others were attempting to evacuate the site.
Hasanzadeh also said that the last came from containers at the Rajaei port in the city, without elaborating. State TV, according to AP, said that there had been a building collapse caused by the explosion, though there were no immediate other details offered.
The blast happened at a time when Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
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