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Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port blast caused by negligence — Interior Ministry

According to Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, "necessary precautions" were not taken at the port

© Iranian Presidency/ Handout/ Getty Images

DUBAI, April 28. /TASS/. Negligence was the cause of the explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said.

"There was negligence," the Tasnim news agency quoted the minister as saying.

According to Momeni, "necessary precautions" were not taken at the port.

Momeni explained that a special commission has been established to investigate the incident, and the proceedings are ongoing. "Some persons" suspected of involvement in the incident "have already been summoned to the court," he said.

On Saturday, a powerful explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee port, located in the city of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf coast. According to the latest data, nearly 1,400 people were injured. No official announcement has been made about the cause of the blast.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered several Emergencies Ministry airplanes to be sent to Iran. Earlier, the Russian Embassy in Tehran informed on its Telegram channel that Russian rescuers had arrived in Iran on two Be-200ES aircraft and one IL-76TD. After they touched down, they held consultations with Iran’s rescue services, outlined a plan of action and began extinguishing the fire.

White House bans U.S. agencies from all work on G20 in South Africa — WP

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