At least four people have been killed and 500 others injured following a massive explosion in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, according to state media reports.
The blast occurred at the Shahid Rajaee port on Saturday morning, blowing out windows of nearby office buildings and causing the roof of at least one structure to collapse.
Footage captured the chaotic aftermath, showing people fleeing from the wharves and others lying wounded on the street. There have also been reports of individuals trapped beneath collapsed walls.
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Authorities said that a fire is still raging at the site, with images showing huge clouds of black smoke billowing over the wharfs. Workers are rushing to evacuate and transfer the injured to nearby hospitals.
“Some workers are still trapped under collapsed roofs and we are trying to rescue them,” one official told local media, according to BBC Persian.
Footage shared online shows people bracing at the moment of the explosion before fleeing the area in panic.
Witnesses reported that the explosion occurred after a small fire on the wharf spread to containers storing “flammable materials” — most likely chemicals.
“The fire spread quickly and caused an explosion,” one witness told local media.
A crisis management official also stated, “The source of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area,” according to BBC Persian.
Residents living several kilometres away reported hearing the blast.
Shahid Rajaee is Iran’s largest commercial port, located in the Hormozgan province along the country’s southern coast.
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