281 injured after massive explosion in Iran port

At least 281 people were injured after a massive explosion took place at the Rajaei port just outside of Bandar Abbas in Iran.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, the blast happened at the Rajaei port, a major facility for container shipments for the Islamic Republic that handles some 80 million tonnes of goods a year.

Social media videos showed black billowing smoke after the blast. 

Others showed glass blown out of buildings kilometers away from the epicentre of the explosion.

Authorities have offered no cause for the explosion yet.

Industrial accidents happen in Iran, particularly at its aging oil facilities that struggle for access to parts under international sanctions. But Iranian state TV specifically ruled out any energy infrastructure as causing or being damaged in the blast.

Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, told Iranian state TV that first responders were trying to reach the area while others were attempting to evacuate the site.

Source: Agencies