Iran minister blames 'negligence' for blast

Death toll up to 46 as firefighters battle blaze at port two days after explosion

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Iran's minister of interior yesterday blamed “negligence” for a massive explosion that killed 46 people at the country’s largest commercial port, with firefighters still battling a blaze at the facility two days later.

The blast took place on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran’s south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.

Officials have said more than 1,000 people were injured. Only “120 wounded are still in hospital”, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is in the area, told state TV yesterday.

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