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.

The blast occurred on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil output passes.

The port’s customs office said in a statement carried by state television that the explosion probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. A regional emergency official said several containers had exploded.

The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.

However, Iran’s defence ministry denied media reports that the blast may be linked to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles. A spokesperson for the ministry told state TV the reports were “aligned with enemy psyops”, saying that the blast-hit area did not contain any military cargo.

Earlier, Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand, in a video shared on the government’s official website, gave on Sunday an updated toll of 28 people killed and more than 1,000 injured.

Live footage on Sunday showed thick black smoke still visible at the scene. “The fire is under control but still not out,” a state TV correspondent reported from the site around 20 hours after the blast.

The explosion was so powerful that it was felt and heard about 50 kilometres away, the Fars news agency reported.

Speaking on Sunday at the scene, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said that “the situation has stabilised in the main areas” of the port.

He told state TV that workers had resumed loading containers and customs clearance.

Images from Iranian news agency IRNA on Saturday showed rescuers and survivors walking along a wide boulevard carpeted with debris after the blast at Shahid Rajaee, more than 1,000km south of Tehran.

Flames could be seen engulfing a truck trailer and blood stained the side of a crushed car, while a helicopter dropped water on massive black smoke clouds billowing from behind stacked shipping containers.

“The shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged,” Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a thorough investigation to find 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.

Mourning

Citing local emergency services, state TV reported that hundreds of casualties “have been transferred to nearby medical centres”, while the provincial blood transfusion centre issued a call for donations.

Saturday is the start of the working week in Iran, meaning the port would have been busy with employees.

Three Chinese nationals were “lightly injured”, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing its Bandar Abbas consulate.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for the victims of the deadly blast, adding he had “issued an order to investigate the situation and the causes”.

State TV reported, “The president is heading to the region to review the latest situation regarding the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas.”

The United Arab Emirates expressed “solidarity with Iran” over the explosion and Saudi Arabia sent condolences.

With choking smoke and air pollution spreading throughout the area, all schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the nearby capital of Hormozgan province, have been ordered closed on Sunday to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort, state TV said.

The health ministry urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.

Authorities declared three days of public mourning across the province.

The state-owned National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company said in a statement carried by local media that the explosion “has no connection” to its facilities, reporting no interruption to its work in Bandar Abbas.

The explosion came as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress.

While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel.

According to The Washington Post, Israel in 2020 launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port.

Putin orders Russian emergency planes to Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered several planes to be sent to Iran to help deal with the aftermath of a blast at Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas, Russia’s emergency ministry said.

Putin has expressed his condolences over the loss of life and offered to provide help to Iran dealing with the aftermath of a blast, the Kremlin said. It said Putin had conveyed “words of sincere sympathy and support to the families of the victims, as well as his wishes for a recovery to all those injured.”

The emergency ministry said a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft specialising in firefighting, as well as an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, would be sent to Iran to help out.

Additional info taken from Reuters.