Huge blast at key Iranian port kills eight and injures more than 750

[Susannah]

At least eight people have been killed and 750 injured in a massive explosion at one of Iran's key ports, authorities say.

The blast took place at Shahid Rajaee, the country's largest commercial port, near the southern city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.

It blew out windows and roofs of nearby buildings and destroyed cars. Residents reported feeling the impact of the blast up to 50km (31 miles) away.

Aerial footage showed at least three areas ablaze and Iran's interior minister later confirmed that the fire was spreading from one container to another. Schools and offices in the region have been ordered to remain closed on Sunday.

One private maritime risk firm said it believed the affected containers had contained solid fuel destined for ballistic missiles.

Huge blast at key Iranian port kills eight and injures more than 750

A private security firm said it believed the affected containers had contained solid fuel destined for ballistic missiles.

www.yahoo.com

Maybe this should be in news but I thought people might want to debate who and what is responsible so I put it here.

 

[Don Alaska]

Solid rocket fuel doesn't require a military attack to set it off. Any miscue in handling could be responsible if it truly was rocket fuel.

 

[Susannah]

Apparently it started with a small fire. I have no idea if it was accidental or deliberate but it’s a little hard to ignore that delivery was known in advance and preventing use of the chemicals is highly desirable.