Iran refinery explosion kills one, injures four
26 September 2023
An explosion at Iran’s Bandar Abbas oil refinery killed one person and injured four others on 22 September. The incident happened after a gas leak during emergency repairs at the site, Iranian state media said.
Representative image: Shutterstock
Iran’s Oil Ministry said that the blast occurred late at night while maintenance workers had been conducting emergency repairs in one of the process units at the refinery in the south of the country. One person was confirmed to have died at the scene while four others were rushed to hospital.
Production at the Bandar Abbas refinery, one of Iran’s largest, was not impacted.
Process safety incidents are not uncommon in Iran. Earlier this year, eight firefighters were injured while attempting to bring a fire under control at the Aftab oil refinery, also in Bandar Abbas.
Elsewhere, in September 2022, an explosion and fire broke out at a key refinery in the southwestern city of Abadan where one of the country’s oldest and largest refineries is located. According to state news, no one was injured in the incident at the refinery which produces around 25% of the country’s fuel.