At least 4 dead, 500 injured as explosion rocks Shahid Rajaee Port

TEHRAN – A massive explosion occurred at around 12.30 pm local time on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Hormozgan Province, leaving at least four dead and 500 injured so far, according to the Red Crescent Society.

The strategically important port lies around 15 kilometers southwest of the port of Bandar Abbas on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz.

The wounded were transferred to Hormozgan hospitals.

Four rapid response teams were dispatched to the scene after the explosion, the head of the Hormozgan Red Crescent Society, Mokhtar Salahshour, said.

The director general of Hormozgan’s crisis management department, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, said the explosion was extremely strong, but the cause has not yet been determined.

Initial reports indicate that the blast originated in an administrative building within the port complex. The blast was so intense that it completely destroyed the administrative building and severely damaged many vehicles, Press TV reported.

Following the incident, all port operations were suspended as security and emergency teams worked to secure the area. Authorities immediately declared a state of emergency at hospitals across Bandar Abbas in preparation for possible mass casualties.