Tehran, April 29
The Committee set up by the Iranian Authorities to investigate the cause of the massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee port in the Hormozgan province, which claimed 70 lives, reported that there was a "failure to observe safety procedures" at the port.
In a statement on Monday evening, the Committee to Investigate the Causes of the Fire Incident in Shahid Rajaee Port stated that after conducting several meetings with experts in different fields, it was concluded that the reason for the tragic incident was "the failure to observe safety principles and passive defence standards" as confirmed to the committee members, the semi-official News Agency reported.
"There have been discrepancies in some cases, and the security and judicial bodies are seriously seeking to identify the wrongdoers," it added.
"Determining the cause of this incident requires a thorough and fully-fledged investigation of its various aspects, which, due to expert requirements, requires technical and laboratory processes; however, without wasting time, its implementation steps are being pursued, and the final results will be revealed to the public as soon as possible," the committee concluded.
Meanwhile, the Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni blamed "negligence" as the cause of the powerful explosion and the inferno in the provincial capital Bandar Abbas, where the port and the country's largest maritime hub is located.