Iran's Rajaei port blast toll could be over 300, veteran port technician says

Satellite images obtained by Iran International show the aftermath of the April 26 explosion over a 50-hectare area at Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran.

The satellite images reveal that the Sina yard, the blast's epicenter which could hold between 12,000 and 20,000 twenty-foot containers, has been completely destroyed.

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The explosion which has devastated Rajaei port, the country's largest container port, has halted more than half of the country's nominal loading and unloading capacity.

The satellite images reveal that the Sina yard, the blast's epicenter which could hold between 12,000 and 20,000 twenty-foot containers, has been completely destroyed.

The area is operated by the US-sanctioned Sina Marine and Port Services, a subsidiary of the Mostazafan Foundation.

The foundation, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate also sanctioned by the United States, is controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Some images are partly obscured due to the massive smoke caused by the blast.

1- Sina yard: 15 hectares

Satellite imagery shows that Sina yard, covering around 15 hectares, has been entirely leveled. Shattered containers are clearly visible in the images. The yard lies approximately 800 meters from the exit and gate control and about 1,400 meters from the first dock.

The administrative building of the Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, located on the northwestern side of the yard, has been completely demolished.

2- Khazar Qeshm Company: 10 hectares

To the east of the Sina yard lies the Khazar Qeshm Company area, covering 10 hectares, which has also been almost completely destroyed. The company’s warehouse roof, about 500 meters from the explosion’s epicenter, has completely collapsed.

3- Rajaei port customs office: 5 hectares

South of the Sina yard are the administrative buildings of Rajaei port. Satellite images show that destruction extends up to 300 meters into the parking area.This zone had been evacuated, and scattered debris is visible.

Images show that the roof of a building 400 meters from the blast center has also collapsed in the administrative area.

4- Onik area: 500 meters from blast

Explosion damage is visible 500 meters north of the Sina yard, in the Onik yard.

5- Hazardous materials zone: 1,300 meters away

According to a map released by Rajaei port, the designated area for storing hazardous materials—marked as zone 5—is about 1,300 meters from the explosion center. No destruction is observed in this hazardous materials zone.

6- Petroleum product storage tanks

The distance from the Sina premises, the site of the explosion, to the petroleum product storage area and tanks marked as No. 6 in the image is only about 1,000 meters. Had the fire spread to this area, the scale of the explosion could have been far more catastrophic.

​As of 3 pm on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence forces have taken full control of the Shahid Rajaei Port area, including port facilities and adjacent customs buildings, Iran International has learned.

Sources indicate that even the port's security guards and customs protection personnel have been denied access to these zones.​

Reports also suggest that IRGC forces are preventing vehicle owners from retrieving their cars parked in the limited-access parking areas of the Shahid Rajaei port and customs facilities.​

In the city of Bandar Abbas, even in eastern districts far from the port, air pollution levels are so high that residents widely report the smell of burning and nasal irritation.​

The eastern and northern exit routes from Bandar Abbas are experiencing heavy traffic due to a significant exodus of residents.​

According to local citizens, the initial explosion caused ground tremors that many mistook for a major earthquake.

Israel's denial of playing any role in Saturday morning’s explosions in southern Iran is part of the country’s usual and routine practice, an Israeli source told Iran International.

Earlier, the Jewish state's Channel 12 cited Israeli officials as saying the country was not involved in the explosion.

Iran has yet to announce the cause of the explosion which has left over 700 injured and at least five dead, according to official figures.

The number of fatalities in Saturday's explosion at Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran is in the dozens, local sources told Iran International.

Earlier Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that only four individuals were killed in the blast.

The figures announced officially account only for those who were in the surrounding areas, not at the heart of the explosion, a source familiar with the situation told Iran International.

A source close to the family of one of the victims, who shared images and videos from the site with Iran International, said: "Why does the Islamic Republic insist on claiming that no one was killed or that the number of deaths is low?"

Hundreds have been injured, and hospitals lack the capacity and resources to treat them, a family member of an injured person told Iran International, speaking outside a hospital in Bandar Abbas and sharing video footage.

Another Iran International viewer sent a video showing the body of a coworker lying among trucks at the site.