Iran port blast leaves massive crater, new satellite images show

According to the photos take on April 30, the large crater has been formed in front of the administrative building of Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, which was the epicenter of the explosion.

In the images, the complete destruction of the building—located in the northwest section of the compound—can be also clearly seen, along with the adjacent warehouses and at least three other buildings. The trees in the area also appear to be completely burned.

The images also show a large number of shipping containers crushed on both sides of the explosion site, highlighting the extent of the destruction.

Iran International had previously reported that the 15-hectare Sina yard, which could accommodate between 12,000 to 20,000 twenty-foot containers, was entirely destroyed. The latest satellite photos confirm the previous report.

The new images also reveal the total destruction of a large administrative building in the nearby Onik yard, located to the north of the Sina area. Damage to this building has not been previously reported.

Khazar Qeshm Company: 10 hectares

To the west of the Sina yard lies the yard of Khazar Qeshm Company, with an area of 10 hectares, which has been almost completely destroyed. The images show that the roof of the company’s warehouse, which is located approximately 500 meters from the explosion's epicenter, has been completely torn apart.

A repair technician with 15 years of experience at Iran's Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas told Iran International that the real death toll from the April 26 explosion could exceed 300 people, including undocumented workers and administrative staff.

"I work as a repair technician and move throughout the entire port," he said. "I know what I’m talking about. The number of dead, including the missing, is over 300."

He said the victims included contract workers from Sina Marine and Port Services company, day laborers who are not officially registered for insurance or taxes, and are paid through off-book bank accounts, as well as undocumented Afghan and Baluch workers who enter the port through side walls to avoid being seen by guards.

He added that 23 women working in the administrative building of the Sina company, located about 200 meters from the blast site, have not been accounted for. "No one has been found from that building—not even the guards or the kitchen staff. Not even the bodies have been returned," he said.

He also described the presence of truck drivers and their companions at the time of the blast. "There were around 80 trucks there, many with drivers' spouses or assistants inside," he said.

The technician said several hours after the explosion, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence officers entered the port and removed or sank around 50 containers that had not exploded but were in the path of the fire. "Some containers were thrown into the sea, others moved to a separate area inside the port complex," he said.

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.