Death toll from explosion at Iranian port rises to 40 VIDEO/UPDATED

The number of fatalities from the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in the city of Bandar Abbas, located in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, has increased to 40, according to the governor of the province, Mohammad Ashouri.

17:59

The number of fatalities from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee seaport in the city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran has risen to 36, said Mohammad Jamalian, a member of the Health and Medical Services Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Iran's parliament).

The bodies of 18 dead persons are yet to be identified, he told the ILNA agency.

"Since yesterday evening, 1,241 injured people have been admitted to medical centers, of which 994 have already been discharged, while 240 are still undergoing treatment in hospitals, including 37 in intensive care. Five have severe burns.

We also visited the forensic department, and at the moment we have 36 bodies, 18 of which have been identified, while the rest are unrecognizable due to severe burns, and DNA tests will be required for their identification," said Jamalian.

He also did not rule out that the number of discovered bodies may increase after the full extinguishing of the fire.

14:36

The death toll from the blast at the Shahid Rajaee seaport in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, has risen to 28, IRNA reported on April 27.

"At the moment, 28 people have been killed and six are missing," the publication said.

The publication states that there is still no exact information about the causes of the incident. President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered an investigation to be conducted as soon as possible to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Defence Ministry confirmed that there were no military goods in the Shahid Rajaee port where the explosion occurred.

"According to the documentation, there were no imported or exported military goods in the Shahid Rajaee port," said Iranian Defence Ministry spokesman Reza Telai-Nik.

All the details and causes of the explosion will be announced later by the relevant authorities, the ministry spokesman added.

12:09

A three-day mourning period has been declared in Iran's Hormozgan province following the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, IRIB reports.

11:34

Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, noted that the explosion at the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee has claimed 25 lives.

Firefighting operations have continued around the clock, with emergency teams from neighbouring provinces and cities joining the efforts, Caliber.Az reports, citing Fars.

The powerful blast rocked the port in Hormozgan province after a fuel tanker exploded for reasons still under investigation.   

Momeni praised the successful execution of the high-risk container separation operation, which helped prevent the fire from escalating.

The interior minister emphasised that the final cleanup and extinguishing work will be completed within a few hours.

11:11

The explosion at the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee has left 1,139 people injured, according to Fatemeh Mohajerani, the Iranian government spokeswoman.

In a post on X, Mohajerani said that authorities declared that the situation is now under control, with significant progress made in containing the fire, Caliber.Az reports.

"Approximately 80% of the fire has been extinguished, and efforts are focused on managing the remaining 20%," the spokesperson wrote.

"Injured individuals have been taken to medical centers, with some being airlifted to Shiraz and Larestan for further treatment. The Ministry of Roads, the head of the Red Crescent Society, and the Deputy Minister of Health have been involved in coordinating the relief efforts, with all relevant departments mobilized to provide assistance," she added.

09:34

The explosion that rocked the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran has resulted in the deaths of 18 people.

The director-general of the Crisis Management Office of Hormozgan province made the announcement, adding that the number of injured is between 750 and 800 people, Caliber.Az reprots, citing Mehr.

He added that about two-thirds of the injured have been discharged from medical facilities, while the remaining individuals are still undergoing treatment.

09:05

A massive explosion and fire rocked a port in southern Iran on April 26 purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing 14 people and injuring around 750 others.

Helicopters and aircraft dumped water from the air on the raging fire through the night into the morning of April 27 at the Shahid Rajaee port in the city of Bandar Abbas, Caliber.Az reports, citing AP.

The explosion occurred just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

After the explosion, Iran’s Ministry of Health ordered a state of emergency to be declared in the city of Bandar Abbas, according to Tasnim.

The ministry sent out a letter instructing the formation of medical teams and the implementation of urgent measures to protect public health amid significant air pollution following the explosion. The letter noted that there is a risk of ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen emissions in the city.

The Russian news source Izvestia wrote that six people were reported missing following the explosion at the Port. 

"Six people went missing as a result of the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port," the outlet wrote on its Telegram channel.

Tasnim Agency added on its Telegram channel that 12 Red Crescent aid teams were attracted to the area, including 60 emergency experts, with five teams operating inside the port and seven outside it.

08:39

The number of casualties resulting from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran has increased to 750 injured and 8 dead.

The update was provided by Iran’s Minister of Interior, Eskandar Momeni, Caliber.Az reports, citing TASS.

"The main priority now is rescuing the injured and fully extinguishing the fire. At present, around 750 people have been injured and 8 people have died," he said during a broadcast on IRIB television.

17:04, April 26

At least four people have been confirmed dead following a powerful explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port, located along the Persian Gulf coast.

The head of Iran’s rescue service, speaking live on national television via IRIB, announced the initial casualty figures, Caliber.Az reports.

“So far, the deaths of four people as a result of the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port have been confirmed,” he stated during the broadcast.

15:55

The number of people injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port, located on the Persian Gulf coast in southern Iran, has risen to 516, according to emergency medical services spokesperson Babak Yektaparast.

"The total number of injured has reached 516," he was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency. The emergency services representative did not provide information regarding any fatalities.

15:31

The number of people injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran has risen to 406, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

He added that there have been no reports of fatalities from the incident so far. Video footage released by the Iranian state television company shows that emergency services have begun using helicopters to extinguish the fire that erupted at the explosion site.

Earlier, Babak Yektaparast, spokesperson for emergency medical services, had reported that the number of injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port had reached 281.

“Following the powerful explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, emergency services were promptly put on full alert and have since transported 281 injured people to hospitals,” he told the IRNA news agency.

According to the correspondent from the Iranian state television company, the explosion was caused by the detonation of the contents of one of the containers at the port. The blast also led to the collapse of one of the port buildings.

15:08

The number of people injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port near the city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran has risen to 281, according to emergency services, as reported by Mehr News Agency.

“As a result of the explosion, 281 people were injured,” clarified a representative from the country’s emergency services.

Injured individuals are being transported to local hospitals by ambulance teams. Babak Yektaparast, a spokesperson for the emergency medical services, stated that all operational, medical, and auxiliary units in the region are working in an enhanced mode. Additionally, emergency services in the cities of Jahrom and Lar are on high alert.

Currently, port operations have been suspended, and security and emergency services personnel are on the scene. Fifteen ambulance vehicles have been dispatched from nearby cities to assist in the response.

Earlier, the toll had been reported as 195.

14:45

The number of people injured in the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port, located on the Persian Gulf coast, has reached 115, according to emergency services.

Earlier, a representative of the Hormozgan Province emergency services had reported 80 injuries, Caliber.Az informs, citing Russian media.

"The number of people transported to medical facilities has reached 80. Forty of them were taken to Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in the city of Bandar Abbas," Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying. Fifteen ambulances and four emergency service buses were dispatched to the scene from nearby cities.

According to a correspondent from the Iranian state broadcaster, the incident was caused by the detonation of the contents of one of the containers at the port. The explosion also led to the collapse of one of the port buildings.

Previously, a representative of the Hormozgan Province emergency services had stated that at least 47 people were injured in the blast.

14:20

At least 47 people were injured after a large explosion rocked Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on April 26, Iranian state media reported.

The blast, which shattered windows several kilometres away and sent a mushroom cloud into the sky, came as Iran entered a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman. The exact cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

"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.

footage emerge from the huge explosion that struck the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. #Iran #BandarAbbas #Explosion #BreakingNews #IranNews pic.twitter.com/xceZEEdnGk

— Sheikh Md. Hossain (@mzuhossain1) April 26, 2025

Fars news agency reported that 47 people were injured according to initial estimates. Semi-official Tasnim news agency added that port activities had been suspended to extinguish the fire and noted that, given the large number of port employees, "many people were probably injured or even killed in the incident."

Authorities are continuing rescue operations and an investigation is underway.

Shahid Rajaee Port has been targeted before. In 2020, a cyberattack on its computer systems caused significant disruptions. The Washington Post later reported that Israel appeared to have carried out the cyberattack in retaliation for an earlier Iranian operation.

By Vugar Khalilov