Explosion and Fire Strike Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port; Multiple Injuries Reported

Explosion and Fire Strike Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port: Bandar Abbas, a port city in Iran, has suffered a massive explosion and fire causing several injuries as per state media reports.

At least 115 people are reported to be injured and taken to hospitals following the incident, says a report by the Associated Press.

The media have not immediately clarified whether there are any casualties related to the blast, says the Associated Press. The blast seems to have occurred at Rajaei port in the city.

"Four rapid response teams were dispatched to the scene after the explosion," Head of the Hormozgan Red Crescent Society, Mokhtar Salahshour, told state TV, AFP reported.

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Videos and pictures of the explosion have gone viral on social media.

The videos captured a huge plume of dark smoke rising from the blast site.

There is scant official comment from the authorities as to the origin of the gigantic explosion.

“The cause of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centres,” a local crisis management official told state TV, as per the Reuters report.

Social media users reported that the explosion was so strong that it damaged buildings in the vicinity.

The Reuters account is that the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company has said in a statement that the Bandar Abbas blast did not impact energy facilities, affirming that "operations at facilities in Bandar Abbas are continuing without interruption."

The blast blew out windows across several kilometres, according to Iranian media reports, with all online footage showing a mushroom cloud rising after the blast.

A cyberattack attacked the computers of this port in the year 2020. This caused lead to mass backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility. Washington Post had reported that such an attack was by arch-foe Israel of Iran. This was considered retaliation for such earlier Iranian cyberattack.

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About Shahid Rajaei port

Primarily Rajaei port deals with the container traffic, while also considering oil tanks and other petrochemical units.

IRNA, official news agency, has cited Shahid Rajaei as the most advanced container port in Iran, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) south of the capital Tehran.

It lies at 23 km from Bandar Abbas, the Hormozgan provincial capital, and to the north of the Strait of Hormuz through which currently passes a fifth of the world oil output.

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