A great explosion in the largest commercial port in Iran has killed 65 people, the provincial governor told the state media on Monday, reviewing the previous tolls for the explosion.
“The death toll has reached 65 in this horrible incident” in the port of Shahid Rajaee, said Mohammad Ashouri, governor of the province of southern Hormozgan, where the port is located, and added that the fire caused by Saturday’s explosion has not yet been completely extinguished.
Iran’s Interior Minister blamed Monday for “negligence” for the explosion, which occurred in the largest commercial port in the country, with firefighters who still fight against the fire two days later.
The explosion took place on Saturday in the port of Shahid Rajaee in southern Iran near the strategic host strategic, a river route through which a fifth of the world oil production passes.
“The number of deaths in the fire of the port of Shahid Rajae has reached 46”, the official IRNA The news agency reported, citing Mehrad Hassanzadeh, director of Crisis Management of the province of Hormozgan.
The authorities have said that more than 1,000 people were injured, and Hassanzadeh said that most had been released after treatment.
Only “120 wounded are still in the hospital,” Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is in the area, State TV, said on Monday.
He added that “the culprits have been identified and summoned”, and that the explosion was caused by “deficiencies, including breach of precautions and security negligence.”
Iran’s state television showed images of firefighters who still turned off the flames on Monday, and said the damage would be evaluated after the fire was completely controlled.
The heavy and black smoke of coal continued to pass on low flames in part of the site, above which a fire extinction helicopter flew, showed images of the Iranian red crescent.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatolá Ali Khamenei, ordered an investigation into the incident.
Smoke, then a fireball
It was not clear immediately what the explosion caused, but the Puerto Customs Office said it probably resulted from a fire that exploded in the storage of hazardous and chemical materials.
CCTV images on social networks showed that it began gradually, with a small fire throwing orange and orange smoke between a few stacked containers outside, in front of a warehouse.
A small forklift truck passes through the area and you can see men walking nearby. Approximately a minute after small fire and smoke become visible, a fireball explodes when vehicles pass close, with men running through their lives.
President Masoud Peeshkian visited hospitals treating the wounded on Sunday in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas.
Since the explosion, the authorities have ordered that all schools and offices in the area have closed, and have urged residents to avoid “until new notice” and use protective masks.
The New York Times He quoted a person with ties with the body of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security issues, saying that what exploded was sodium perclorato, an important ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, says Talaei-Nik, later told State TV that “there has been no imported or exported load for military fuel or military use in the area.”
Iran’s ally, Russia, has sent specialists to help fight fires.
The authorities have declared a national day of mourning on Monday, while three days of mourning began Sunday in the province of Hormozgan, where the port is located.
The explosion occurred when the Iranian and American delegations met in Oman for high -level conversations about Tehran’s nuclear program, with both parties informing the progress.
Although Iranian authorities so far seem to treat the explosion as an accident, it is also found in the context of the shadow war with the regional enemy Israel. According The Washington PostIsrael launched a cyber attack aimed at the port of Shahid Rajaee in 2020.
