The death toll in the explosion at the port of Razi in Iran on Saturday has reached 46, IRNA news agency reported, quoting Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director of crisis management in Hormozgan province.
Officials said more than 1,000 people were injured in the fire. Hassanzadeh mentioned that most of the injured have returned after treatment and 138 injured are still being treated in the hospital.
Iran's state television, showing footage of the fire, said that the damage would be assessed after the fire is fully under control. Fire extinguishers and helicopters to extinguish the fire Television footage of the operation is shown.
The customs office at the port said that although the cause of the explosion is not clear, the fire may have started in the chemical material storage depot.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered an investigation into the incident.
In the video shown on social media and CCTV, it is shown that the incident started slowly with a small fire and smoke. A small fire that started from among some containers near the warehouse has been shown to have turned into a big one.
It is reported that President Massoud Pezheskian went to the hospital to visit the injured in Abbas. Authorities have ordered the closure of all schools and offices in the area and urged residents to stay safe 'until further notice'.
Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Reza Talai-Nik said that there is no import/export of military fuel or military use in the region.
Russia has sent experts to help fight the fires .
Officials declared national mourning on Monday, while three days of mourning began on Sunday in the port province of Hormozgan.
The explosion occurred when Iranian and American representatives were meeting in Oman for high-level talks held in Tehran.
