Eighteen dead and more than 700 injured after chemical explosion at Iran's largest port

Eighteen people have died and more than 700 been injured after a chemical explosion at Iran's largest port, according to state media.

The blast saw a huge cloud of black and orange smoke billow above Rajaei port, near the city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday.

Its impact shattered windows up to 16 miles away, with social media footage showing an office block near the port with its doors blown off.

Iran's interior minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar confirmed that 14 people have died. Babak Mahmoudi, head of Iran's rescue organisation, said more than 700 people sustained injuries.

Emergency workers were seen rescuing people among the debris, with footage showing the wounded crowding at the entrance of a nearby hospital.

Read more from Sky News
Pope Francis's coffin arrives at resting place
Kim Jong Un reveals new destroyer
What happened in Kashmir?

Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's crisis management organisation, told the ILNA news agency that the cause of the blast was "the chemicals inside the containers" but did not elaborate further.

State TV reported that poor handling of flammable materials was a "contributing factor".

Iran's interior ministry said it has launched an investigation.

Rajaei port is around 650 miles southeast of Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest in the country, handling 80 million tonnes of goods every year.

Industrial accidents are relatively common in Iran, which suffers from ageing oil infrastructure under international sanctions.

Another incident in Bandar Abbas killed one worker in 2023.

Saturday's blast came as UN officials met in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.

(c) Sky News 2025: Eighteen dead and more than 700 injured after chemical explosion at Iran's largest port