The number of dead for a mass explosion in an Iranian port increased to 28 on Sunday with more than 800 people injured, according to state media. Some people remain missing.
The explosion of Saturday night in the largest and most important shipping port in Iran resulted in an important fire, which spread and caused destruction in the surrounding areas. Iran’s Ministry of Health, citing toxic pollutants in the air, declared an emergency state in the province and instructed people to remain inside.
The port, Shahid Rajaee, is strategically location in Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran, along the hormuz narrow.
The authorities declared three days of public mourning in the province.
For Sunday morning, most of the fire had been contained and firefighters were struggling to extinguish the soaking of 20 percent, according to the State News Agency of the Islamic Republic.
Last year, the port of Shahid Rajae managed 85 percent of Iran’s shipping container traffic, as well as a large part of its oil, according to the port and the maritime organization.
An Iranian official told the state media on Saturday that the explosion was probably triggered by chemical containers and the authorities have not suggested that the explosion was caused by sabotage or deliberate attack.
Five years ago, Israel launched a cyber attack that hindered operations in the port of Shahid Rajaee as part of its long shadow war with Iran. Israeli officials did not respond to a request for comments on Saturday’s explosion.
Masoud Peeshkian, the Iranian president, said that the interior minister of the country was directed to the region to supervise an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Mr. Pezeshkian also instructed the minister to accelerate the reconstruction and reopening of the port.
The state media reported that the first vice president of the country, Mohammad Reza Aref, has emphasized the need to strengthen security protocols in all industrial ports and facilities in the area to avoid a similar accident in the future.
