Death toll from Iran's port blast rises to 40

The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran’s biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters worked to fully extinguish the fire.

Saturday’s blast took place in the Shahid Rajaee section of the port, Iran’s biggest container hub, shattering windows for several kilometres around, tearing metal strips off shipping containers and badly damaging goods inside, state media said.

Fires kept breaking out in different parts of the affected area as of Sunday night, according to state media, with helicopters, planes and fire fighters continuing efforts to extinguish them, reports Reuters.

By early afternoon, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society told state media the fire was 90 per cent extinguished and officials said port activities had resumed in unaffected parts of Shahid Rajaee.

Iran’s president visited on Sunday the scene of a massive port blast. Arriving in Bandar Abbas, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his appreciation to first responders, adding “we have come to see first-hand if there is anything or any issue that the government can follow up on”.

“We will try to take care of the families who lost their loved ones, and we will definitely take care of the dear people who got injured,” he said.

Later, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of the blast. “Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up in accordance with regulations,” Khamenei said in a message carried by state television.

Russia’s embassy said Moscow was sending multiple “aircraft carrying specialists” to help fight the blaze.