40 killed, over 1,000 injured by explosion at southern Iranian port

At least 40 people were killed while more than 1,200 others suffered injuries as a result of an explosion at the Port of Shahid Rajaee in the city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Saturday, April 26.

The country's state media said that the incident occurred at around 21:00 local time on Saturday when a fire ignited in one of the tanks at the port's oil storage terminal. The affected tank then exploded, and the blast was reportedly heard as far as 20 kilometres away.

The initial explosion triggered another fire that quickly spread to a number of nearby cargo containers, igniting a second but less powerful explosion, local media confirmed.

Within hours of the blasts, Iran's health ministry issued a warning that the incident could cause the release of pollutants such as ammonia, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

The ministry recommended that the city government of Bandar Abbas declare a state of emergency and establish a task force to address the possible impact of the incident on the local population.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Bandar Abbas on Sunday to receive updates on the incident response effort and to visit the injured individuals who were still undergoing treatment.

The country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered that a thorough investigation be conducted to determine whether the incident was the result of negligence or a deliberate act.

Hospital officials at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences in Bandar Abbas said that around 950 of those who suffered injuries from the blast have already been discharged.