Iran: 4-year-old girl killed, 14 injured in gas leak blast in Bandar Abbas port city
The blast damaged an 8-storey building in the Bandar Abbas city of Iran, and left several people injured. Rescue and firefighters are at the spot, and the cause of the explosion is being determined.
An explosion at a residential building in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf coast on Saturday was caused by a gas leak, according to local authorities, AFP reported. State television reported that the blast tore through an eight-storey apartment block on Moallem Boulevard, destroying 2 floors and damaging several vehicles and nearby shops.
Mohammad Amin Lyaghat, the city’s fire chief, said the initial assessment indicated a gas leak and a buildup of gas inside the building led to the explosion. His comments were broadcast on state television.
The incident occurred amid heightened regional tensions, with separate events reported elsewhere in Iran on the same day. However, Iranian media quickly dismissed any suggestion of an attack or sabotage, despite rising strains as US President Donald Trump has intensified threats of military action against Iran.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director general of crisis management for Hormozgan province, said a 4-year-old girl was killed, and 14 people were taken to the hospital. Bandar Abbas is the provincial capital.
Images shared on social media showed a large section of the building’s facade blown out.
The explosion came as the United States has increased its naval presence in the region, including the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
Following online speculation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said none of its naval facilities in the province had been targeted, according to a statement carried by the Fars news agency. The Tasnim news agency also denied rumours of an assassination attempt against the commander of the Guards’ navy, Alireza Tangsiri.
In a separate incident on Saturday, a gas explosion in the Kianshahr neighbourhood of Ahvaz city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan killed 4 people.
Meanwhile, state television said smoke seen in Parand, on the outskirts of Tehran, was not linked to any security incident and was caused by a small fire in nearby reeds.
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