The explosion in the port of Chahid Rajaï, in southern Iran, Saturday, April 26, the cause of which remains unknown, left at least forty people dead and more than a thousand injured, according to a new review revised upwards on Sunday by state television.
“For the past hour, forty people have lost their lives in the follow -up of injuries caused by the explosion”announced on television Mohammad Ashouri, the head of the province of Hormozgan (South), where the Shahid Rajaï port is located near the coastal city of Bandar Abbas.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, who ordered the opening of an investigation, arrived in the port on Sunday afternoon, still in the prey in the aftermath of the explosion. He expressed his ” gratitude “ to “Firefighters and rescuers to the members of the Guardians of the Revolution and the Army who came to lend a hand” at the scene of the drama.
This strategic port, the largest commercial port in Iran, is close to the big coastal city of Bandar-E Abbas, on the Strait of Ormuz, where a fifth of world oil production passes, a thousand kilometers south of Tehran.
Wounded transported to Tehran
Earlier in the afternoon, the director of the Iranian Red Crescent-Red, Pirhossein Koulivand, said that “Twenty people are in intensive care”, And added that injured had been transported by plane to be treated in Tehran. In its latest assessment, the Red Crescent lists more than a thousand injured.
The disaster is probably due to a fire in a storage area of dangerous and chemical materials, according to a press release from the port. “Only an area of the port (…) was affected by a fire, and the loading and unloading operations of goods are normally continued in several other areas”said the Minister of Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh, according to official media. The numerous port warehouses are spread over an area of 2,400 hectares.
The Ministry of Defense said that“There was and there is currently no cargo (…) for military fuel or for military use in the fire zone”.
Helicopters and aircraft mobilized
“The fire is under control but is still not extinguished”announced on Sunday a correspondent of state television present on the scene, a thick black smoke visible behind him. Plans and helicopters are mobilized to fight against flames, according to images of state television. On the ground, the firefighters deployed immense fire spears.
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Russia ordered the shipment “Several planes carrying specialists”to help fight fire, according to the Russian Embassy in Iran.
The authorities ordered the closure on Sunday-working day in Iran −Des and schools in Bandar-E Abbas, a city of around 650,000 inhabitants, while smoke continues to spread in the surroundings. The Ministry of Health has called on residents to stay at home “Until new order”. A call for blood donations was launched for the injured.
The authorities decreed one day of national mourning on Monday, and three days from Sunday in the province of Hormozgan, of which Bandar-E Abbas is the chief town. The city is home to the main base of the Iranian navy.