The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, as President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the site.
The blast on Saturday (local time), which officials say was probably caused by chemical materials, took place in the Shahid Rajaee section of the port — Iran's biggest container hub.
The force of the explosion shattered windows for several kilometres around Bandar Abbas, which is located near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, tearing metal shreds off shipping containers and badly damaging goods stored inside, state media reports said.
Chemicals at the port were suspected to have fuelled the explosion, but the exact cause was not clear, and Iran's defence ministry denied international media reports that the blast may be linked to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles.
New videos emerged on Sunday showing an apocalyptic scene at the still-smouldering port. A crater that appeared metres deep sat surrounded by burning smoke so dangerous that authorities closed schools and businesses in the area.
By early afternoon, the head of Iran's Red Crescent Society told state media the fire was 90 per cent extinguished and officials said port activities had resumed in unaffected parts of Shahid Rajaee.
Iranian president orders investigation
Pezeshkian has ordered an investigation of the incident, later visiting the site of the explosion.
"We have to find out why it happened," Pezeshkian said during a meeting with officials broadcast on Iranian state TV.
"Did we really have to hold the container here for three to four months ... until we had 120-140 thousand containers stored in this place?" Pezeshkian said after arriving in Bandar Abbas on Sunday.
Officials said windows shattered kilometres away and the blast could be heard as far as Qeshm Island, 26 kilometres south of the port. Source: AP / Mohammad Rasoul Moradi
What have others said?
Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran's crisis management organisation, blamed the incident on poor storage.
"The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers," he told Iran's ILNA news agency.
"Previously, the director general of crisis management had given warnings to this port during their visits and had pointed out the possibility of danger," Zafari added.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani cautioned against "premature speculation", saying final assessments would be shared after investigations.
Past incidents
It's not the first time a deadly incident like this has hit Iran, with many blaming negligence.
Recent events have included:
- Refinery fires
- A gas explosion at a coal mine
- An emergency repair incident at Bandar Abbas that killed one worker in 2023
Iran has blamed some other incidents on its arch-foe Israel, which has carried out attacks on Iranian soil targeting Iran's nuclear program in recent years and .
