Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Iran his country's help in dealing with the aftermath of the blast that rocked the Iranian port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas and expressed condolences for the victims, the Russian news agency RIA reported today, quoted by Reuters.
Iranian state media reported that yesterday in “Shahid Rajai“ – the largest Iranian port, there was an explosion, most likely caused by an explosion of chemical materials.
The world agencies, citing representatives of the local authorities, reported that the dead in the explosion were 25 and the injured were over 1,100.
According to the latest data from the Iranian authorities, 25 people have already died in the powerful explosion that shook the Iranian port of “Shahid Rajai“ yesterday near the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil production passes, the world agencies reported.
The spokeswoman for the Iranian government, Fatemeh Mohajerani, also updated the number of injured – 1139, saying that some of them were transported by planes to Shiraz and Lorestan for treatment.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the causes of the tragedy.
A large fire broke out at the port after the explosion, which has not yet been extinguished.
The explosion reverberated for tens of kilometers yesterday at around 12 p.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT). The explosion occurred on one of the piers of the port, through which 85 percent of Iran's goods pass.
Customs authorities said that the explosion may have been caused by a fire that broke out in a warehouse storing hazardous materials and chemicals.
According to a source connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted by the “New York Times“, the explosion was caused by sodium perchlorate, a substance that is part of solid rocket fuel.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said that reinforcements from other regions of the country are expected in the area of the incident to help put out the fire that broke out in the explosion.