Iran explosion: Videos show powerful blast in Iran’s Bandar Abbas port

Massive clouds of smoke billowed across the sky in Iran’s Bandar Abbas as a powerful explosion ripped through the Shahid Rajaee port, injuring over 500 people on Saturday. The impact of the blast, which was felt over a radius of several kilometres, also led to the collapse of a building, AP reported.

Videos showed glass windows being blown out of buildings miles away from the epicentre of the explosion. Several vehicles in the vicinity of the site were damaged, with their window panes in smithereens.

Residents said the blast was strong enough to shake the ground and be heard in neighbouring towns.

While there has been no official statement on the cause of the explosion, initial reports indicate negligence in the storage of flammable materials at the port.

The yard where the explosion occurred likely contained “dangerous goods and chemicals”, Reuters quoted a port official as saying.

Footage also showed injured people lying on the road as rescuers tended to them amid panic and confusion.

Shahid Rajaee, which is located around 1,000 kilometres south of Iran’s capital, Tehran, is the most advanced container port in Iran.

The incident happened as Iranian and US officials held a meeting in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The explosion comes months after one of Iran’s deadliest explosions in years. In September, a coal mine blast due to a gas leak killed more than 50 people in Tabas.