Tragedy in Bandar Abbas: 750 injured, authorities declare state of emergency

Following an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran, the Ministry of Health has ordered a state of emergency to be declared in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas.

The ministry issued a letter instructing authorities to form medical teams and implement urgent measures to protect public health amid significant air pollution caused by the blast, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

The letter warned of the risk of emissions of ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen in the city.

According to the latest reports, the number of people injured as a result of the explosion has risen to approximately 750, while the death toll has increased to eight.

Eskandar Momeni, head of the Interior Ministry of the Islamic Republic, announced the updated figures. Speaking to local TV, Momeni stated, "The main task now is to rescue the victims and completely extinguish the fire. So far, about 750 people have been injured and 8 people have died." He added, "Rescue and law enforcement agencies are present at the site, and we hope that full control of the situation will be achieved within the next few hours." Efforts to localise and fully extinguish the fire at the scene are ongoing.

Earlier, Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, Director of Crisis Management for Hormozgan Province, had reported that five people had died and 700 were injured. The situation has since worsened as updated figures have been released.

Additionally, the provincial police chief reported that six individuals remain missing following the explosion at Shahid Rajaee port.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf earlier instructed that a commission composed of members from the parliamentary committees on construction, national security, foreign policy, internal affairs, and health be dispatched to the region to investigate the situation and assess the scale of the incident.

The explosion at Shahid Rajaee port occurred on April 26. Eyewitnesses described the blast as extremely loud, with the sound heard as far as 20 kilometers from the site. One of the port's buildings collapsed as a result of the explosion. Port operations have been suspended, and security forces along with emergency service personnel are continuing to work at the scene.

By Tamilla Hasanova