Fighting continues against fire at port in Iran

Firefighters are struggling for a third day to extinguish a massive blaze that has devastated Iran's largest port after an explosion on Saturday killed at least 40 people, state media reported Monday.

Thick black smoke continues to rise above containers stacked at the Shahid Rajaï port, according to footage broadcast live on Iranian state television Monday morning.

Once the fire is under control, “we will enter the phase of cleaning the site and assessing the damage,” state television reported.

The explosion, heard dozens of kilometers away, occurred on Saturday around noon local time (09:30 in Lisbon) on a dock in the port of Shahid Rajaï, through which 85% of Iran's goods pass.

This strategic port is located near the large coastal city of Bandar Abbas (south), on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil production passes, a thousand kilometers south of Tehran.

The explosion left at least 40 dead and more than a thousand injured, according to the latest figures released by authorities.

Death toll rises to 40 after explosion at southern Iran port

The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined, but according to port customs, the explosion probably happened after a fire started in a storage unit for hazardous materials and chemicals.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered an investigation into the incident to determine whether the tragedy was caused by negligence or intentional.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian visited hospitals in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas on Sunday to visit the injured.

Iran's Health Ministry has asked the city's approximately 650,000 residents to stay home "until further notice" and has also launched an appeal for blood donations to treat the injured.