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LBCI
26-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Hundreds injured: Massive explosion rocks Iranian port, drawing comparisons to Beirut blast
Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian It felt like an earthquake — that was the initial sensation reported by residents of Bandar Abbas before they heard a powerful explosion followed by a massive black cloud rising into the sky south of their city. The blast immediately reminded many of the Beirut port explosion five years ago. The explosion occurred at the strategic Shahid Rajaee Port, located near the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, about 14 kilometers southwest of Bandar Abbas and roughly 1,000 kilometers from the capital, Tehran. Iranian state television quoted an official from the Ports and Maritime Organization in Hormozgan province as saying the explosion took place in a warehouse storing flammable materials at the city's customs area. Efforts to extinguish the fire, involving helicopters, continued for several hours. The blast resulted in hundreds of injuries, with the wounded transferred to hospitals in Bandar Abbas. Authorities declared a state of emergency in the city. Windows in buildings and cars shattered several kilometers away, and there was extensive damage to port facilities, where dozens of containers were either destroyed or burned by the force of the explosion. Given that Israel has repeatedly threatened to target Iranian facilities, speculation initially pointed toward Israeli involvement. However, Israel's Maariv newspaper quoted military officials as saying the Israeli army had no connection to the explosion. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dispatched his interior minister to Bandar Abbas as a special envoy to assess the situation and ordered a detailed investigation into the blast.
Express Tribune
26-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Explosion injures 281 at Iran's Bandar Abbas port
Iran's customs authority said in a statement that Saturday's explosion occurred in the Sina container yard, which is affiliated with the Ports and Maritime Organization [IRIBNEWS/AFP] Listen to article At least 281 people were injured following a massive explosion and fire at the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, officials and state media said on Saturday. The explosion occurred at the Sina container yard, affiliated with Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, more than 1,000 kilometres south of Tehran, according to the Iranian Customs Authority. Emergency services said the injured were transferred to medical facilities across Hormozgan province. Authorities have launched an initial investigation into the cause of the blast. Iranian state television quoted Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, head of Hormozgan's crisis management agency, as saying that safety officials had previously issued warnings over the storage of flammable materials at the site. Social media footage showed thick black smoke and large flames rising from the affected area. Other videos showed damage to nearby buildings and vehicles, with people attending to the wounded. Esmaeil Malekizadeh, an official from the Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration, said the explosion occurred near the Shahid Rajaei port dock, a major hub for container traffic and petrochemical storage. In 2020, Shahid Rajaei port was also the target of a suspected cyberattack attributed to Israel, which disrupted operations for several days. Authorities said a more detailed investigation into Saturday's incident is ongoing.
