Summary
- Massive explosions devastated Bandar Abbas’s Rajaei Port on April 26–27.
- Over 300 confirmed dead and more than 1,500 injured, according to exclusive eyewitness reports obtained by Simay Azadi.
- Thousands have suffered catastrophic injuries, including amputations and blindness.
- Improper storage of rocket fuel chemicals and flammable goods caused the disaster.
- Four ammonium nitrate tanks belonging to IRGC-affiliated companies also exploded.
- Hospitals overwhelmed, with many victims transferred to cities like Kerman, Shiraz, and Bushehr.
- Regime censorship and deliberate downplaying of casualty figures amid growing public outrage.
- Eyewitnesses describe the port as “hell on earth” and “a graveyard.”
A Massive explosion at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Rajaei Port on April 26, followed by another one on April 27 has left the city in ruins, with exclusive eyewitness reports obtained by Simay Azadi revealing a far graver humanitarian disaster than official sources admit.
The inferno began when a fire broke out among poorly stored containers holding everything from flammable chemicals and solid rocket fuel to baby formula, clothing, technical parts, and plastic waste. According to on-site witnesses, the heat rapidly triggered massive explosions across the port.
“At first, there was a fire among the containers,” reported one witness. “After a few moments, a huge explosion occurred, and the flames spread to the other containers carrying flammable materials.”
Sources confirm that in January, two ships from China had delivered large quantities of sodium perchlorate, used in solid missile fuel, to the port. Sodium perchlorate can explode through heat, shock, or the presence of a detonator — all three of which were present during Sunday’s disaster.
“I work at the dock,” said a local laborer. “There are two container yards, each employing 150 to 200 workers. Many of my colleagues died — Mrs. Bakhto, Mrs. Tima, Mrs. Khavar, Ali Samiei, Saeed Nami, and many others.”
“This Place Is Hell”
Eyewitness testimonies describe a nightmarish scene:
- “At 3 p.m. Sunday, about 10 more containers exploded, and the fire grew larger,” a witness said.
- “My house is three kilometers away, but all our windows and doors were ripped off,” said a local steel company worker.
- “The glass in our home, 25 kilometers away, shattered during the later explosions,” another resident told Simay Azadi.
- “I was six kilometers away, but the blast threw me across the room — I thought a missile had struck.”
The human toll is catastrophic. Simay Azadi reporters confirmed from multiple sources:
- Witnesses estimate at least 300 dead, possibly more, and more than 1,250 injured in initial counts.
- Thousands have suffered injuries, including severed limbs, eye injuries, and severe burns.
- “If I were to be optimistic,” one witness said, “everyone within a radius of 600–700 meters was killed.”
A worker described, “Where I was loading, there were 40 Baluchi workers — and now there’s no trace of them.”
Another man reported:
“The smell of corpses fills the air. It’s impossible to breathe. There’s sulfur everywhere.
The number of dead is far beyond what anyone can imagine.”
A grieving colleague recounted, “Ali Tima, 28 years old, was killed. They will bring his body tomorrow to bury him in his village. He had just gotten married 10 days ago.”
Missing Persons and Overwhelmed Hospitals
The tragedy has also led to the disappearance of many workers:
- “My aunt worked at the dock,” one woman said. “She’s missing. I carry her photo everywhere, but no one can give me an answer.”
- “23 female workers are missing; there’s no news about them,” reported another Simay Azadi correspondent from Bandar Abbas.
- “In a container office where eight female employees worked, all eight disappeared — they evaporated into thin air.”
Conditions in hospitals are desperate:
- “The emergency situation is a disaster,” one source said. “Most hospitals are full.”
- “Hospitals are so crowded, there aren’t enough beds,” a Simay Azadi reporter confirmed.
- “Many injured have been transferred to Kerman, Shiraz, Bushehr, and other cities,” another said.
One survivor explained, “Some of the injured — especially the women — have had their eyes gouged out, or lost arms and legs.”
Another eyewitness, crying, said:
“Many bodies are burned so badly that you can’t tell who they are.
Some faces are completely unrecognizable.
Still, many children and workers are trapped under rubble.”
Regime Denials and Censorship
Eyewitnesses and Simay Azadi reporters say that the Iranian regime has launched an active cover-up:
- Access to the port has been sealed off.
- Families are barred from retrieving bodies or even entering the area.
- The regime’s official figures grossly understate the true extent of the disaster.
“Don’t believe the regime’s numbers,” one witness warned. “They are lying. The real death toll is much higher.”
A worker added,
“This is the Empire of Lies.
They don’t show any of this disaster to the world.”
Another said, “Even now, the fire hasn’t been extinguished. Hundreds are dead. Thousands are injured. This is hell on earth.”
According to multiple independent reports, four ammonium nitrate tanks belonging to a company affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) also exploded during the disaster, worsening the devastation.
“Bandar Abbas Has Become a Graveyard”
Residents are in mourning. Streets are filled with crying families searching for loved ones.
The air is thick with sulfur, smoke, and the stench of death.
Life in Bandar Abbas has come to a standstill.
One exhausted worker, shaking with grief, told Simay Azadi:
“People are homeless. Families are devastated.
There’s no breathing space left.
Rajaei Port has become a graveyard.”
This report is based on exclusive, verified testimonies collected by Simay Azadi correspondents and eyewitnesses inside Bandar Abbas.