More than 500 people were injured after several containers exploded at Iran’s most advanced container port, Shahid Rajaee, on Saturday, triggering a massive blast and fire.
Footage from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing from the port area. “The explosion occurred at a section of the Shahid Rajaee dock, and firefighting efforts are underway,” regional port official Esmaeil Malekizadeh told state TV.
Located about 1,000 kilometers south of Tehran and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Shahid Rajaee Port is a key hub for Iran’s maritime trade, sitting 23 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province.
Four rapid response teams were dispatched immediately after the explosion, said Mokhtar Salahshour, Head of the Hormozgan Red Crescent Society.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of the provincial crisis management authority, confirmed that the blast was triggered by the explosion of multiple containers.