Deadly explosion at Iranian port leaves over 70 dead and 1200 injured - toxic pollutants led to State of Emergency
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The death toll from the explosion at Iran’s Bandar Abbas container port has climbed to at least 70 on Tuesday, with more than 1,200 people injured, according to state media. The blast triggered a large fire, which firefighters battled for 48 hours before officials declared it under control, Reuters news service reports.
Bandar Abbas is Iran’s most critical shipping hub, handling a significant portion of the country’s imports and exports. The incident has raised concerns about the broader economic impact, though officials maintain that operations in parts of the port continue.
Iran's ISNA news agency quoted interior minister Eskandar Momeni, who said national operations to confront the fire in Shahid Rajaee had ended and the management of firefighting had been handed over to local authorities.
An initial report from the investigative committee examining the explosion at the Bandar Abbas container port has identified failures in adherence to civil defence and security protocols.
"Shortcomings in regards to not respecting security protocols have been identified and some of the individuals at fault have been summoned", Momeni said to state media.
Original post on April 28:
A massive explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas has left 46 dead and more than 800 injured, with several people still missing, according to the New York Times.
The blast, which occurred Saturday evening, triggered a large fire that spread to surrounding areas, prompting Iran’s health ministry to declare a state of emergency due to airborne toxic pollutants.
Firefighters managed to contain most of the blaze by Sunday morning, though efforts continued to extinguish the remaining 20 percent. The port, which handles 85 percent of Iran’s shipping container traffic, remains a critical hub for the country’s trade.
Officials believe the explosion was caused by containers of chemicals, with no indication of sabotage or an attack. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered an investigation and pushed for swift reconstruction of the port, while Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has called for stricter safety measures across Iran’s industrial sites to prevent future disasters.
The province has declared three days of mourning as authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage.
According to CNN, eyewitness accounts and video indicate chemicals in an area of shipping containers caught fire, setting off a much larger explosion. The death toll has spiked sharply, with 1,000 others reported injured, according to the Associated Press, citing Iranian state TV. Of those wounded, 190 remain in hospital, said Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent society.
Sodium Perchlorate may have exploded
CBN News says that according to the private security firm Ambrey, the port received a shipment of "sodium perchlorate rocket fuel" in March. This fuel, part of a consignment transported by two vessels, was initially reported by the Financial Times in January.
AP News says new footage from the aftermath of the explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee port reveals a massive crater surrounded by hazardous smoke so toxic that it has prompted authorities to shut down schools and businesses nearby due to safety concerns.
The BBC writes that there is also the question of whether Iran's economy may be affected, given the port handles nearly 80% of the country's imports. On Saturday, authorities were warning of possible food shortages in the near term with the port out of action for some time. A day later, they were playing that down, saying that the explosion only affected a part of the port and that the rest is functioning normally.
Photo Credit: Iran Presidency handout