Tehran, Apr 26 (UNI) At least five people were killed and more than 700 others injured in a huge explosion that occurred on Saturday at a port in Iran's southern province of Hormozgan, media reported.
The casualties were announced by Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of the provincial crisis management organization, in an interview with Fars.
He added that those wounded in the incident were hospitalized in different medical centers across the southern port city of Bandar Abbas in the province.
According to China's Consulate General in Bandar Abbas, three Chinese citizens sustained minor injuries in the explosion. They are now in good condition after receiving medical treatment.
In an earlier report, the official news agency IRNA said the blast occurred at a gas tank at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, causing extensive damage to nearby buildings and cars.
In remarks to Fars later, Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Organization, said the blast was caused by chemical materials in a container at the port.
Meanwhile, the Iranian government's spokeswoman, Fatemeh Mohajerani, warned against any \\"hasty speculations\\" about the cause of the incident before relevant authorities complete the investigations, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
She added that what had been confirmed so far was that there were containers, probably with chemical materials, at a corner of the port.
Rapid reaction and rescue teams have been dispatched to the scene, and all port activities have been suspended, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, adding that the number of injured is likely to increase.
In a post on social media platform X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian extended sympathy to the victims of the explosion, announcing that he had issued a directive for the investigation of the blast as well as the cause of the incident.
He added that Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had been dispatched to the province to ensure the necessary coordination and address the condition of the injured.
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