Interior minister blames ‘negligence’ for Iran port blast
Death toll rises to 65
Iran’s interior minister on Monday blamed “negligence” for a massive explosion that killed 65 people at the country’s largest commercial port, with firefighters still battling a blaze at the facility three days after the tragic incident.
The blast took place on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaei Port in Iran’s south –which is the most advanced container port in the country.
Hormozgan Governor-General Mohammad Ashouri Taziani said on Monday that the death toll in the Shahid Rajaei Port fire has reached 65. Also, more than 1,000 people have been injured in the explosion.
Only “120 wounded are still in hospital,” Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is in the area, said on Monday.
He added that “culprits have been identified and summoned,” and that the blast was caused by “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence.”
Iran’s state TV showed images of firefighters still dousing the flames Monday, and said the damage would be assessed after the fire was fully brought under control.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident.
In a message on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the tragic incident has caused sorrow and concern.
He urged security and judicial officials to identify any negligence or deliberate acts that may have caused the tragedy and to take necessary legal action in accordance with the law.
All officials must consider themselves responsible for preventing such bitter and damaging incidents, he said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.
CCTV images on social media showed it began gradually, with a small fire belching orange-brown smoke among a few containers stacked outside, across from a warehouse.
A small forklift truck drives past the area and men can be seen walking nearby.
About one minute after the small fire and smoke become visible, a fireball erupts as vehicles pass nearby, with men running for their lives.
The explosion has destroyed some nearby buildings and damaged vehicles parked near the site of the incident.
Shipping containers burned, goods inside were badly damaged and the explosion was so powerful that windows several miles away were shattered. The blast was also heard in Qeshm, an island 26 kilometers south of the port.