Gas leak caused blast in Iran’s Bandar Abbas, Iranian media say

An explosion that hit a building in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday was caused by a gas leak, according to a preliminary assessment, the local head of the fire department said.

Earlier, Iranian state media reported that at least one person had been killed and 14 injured in the blast, which comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s crackdown earlier this month on nationwide protests and over the country’s nuclear programme.

“This (gas leak and accumulation) is the preliminary assessment. My colleagues will give more details in the next few hours,” Mohammad Amin Liaqat, the fire department chief, said in a video published by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.

READ MORE: Suspected chemical blast at Iran’s Bandar Abbas kills 4, injures hundreds

A video published on social media showed people standing among debris and wrecked cars in front of a damaged building following the explosion.

Reuters was able to verify the location by analyzing buildings, trees, and road layout, which matched satellite and file imagery. Reuters could not independently verify the date the video was filmed.

Separately, four people were killed after another gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.