Explosion rips through Bandar Abbas building as gas leak cited

A powerful blast tore through the lower floors of a multi-storey residential and commercial building in Bandar Abbas, a strategic southern port on the Strait of Hormuz, killing a child and wounding dozens as emergency crews scrambled to evacuate residents.

State-affiliated outlets and municipal emergency officials said the blast appeared to originate from a gas leak. Mohammad Amin Liaqat, the local fire department chief, said “a preliminary assessment showed it had been caused by a gas leak and ‘build-up’.” Tasnim news agency reported that “all residents from the building had been evacuated.”

Details about the damaged structure vary in official and media accounts. Footage released by state-affiliated agencies showed heavy destruction to the lower levels and rubble scattered across the street where shops and vehicles had been damaged. Some images and videos suggest two floors were destroyed; other footage indicated the explosion ripped through the lower four floors of a taller block. Photographs distributed from the scene show rescue workers carrying injured people from the wreckage and debris strewn around damaged cars.

State and local agencies reported casualty figures that remain provisional. Fars News Agency said, “A 4-year-old girl was killed in the explosion and 14 people had been injured.” Hospital sources cited by regional officials said the injured were taken to nearby medical centers; officials have not released names or detailed condition reports. Local footage broadcast by a daily newspaper included a sequence of rescuers carrying a man in a green security uniform on a stretcher; he wore a neck brace and appeared in pain, though his identity and affiliation have not been confirmed by authorities.

Rumors circulated on social media that a senior Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been killed or targeted in the blast. Fars News Agency issued a denial of those claims, saying the suggestion that “Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, had been assassinated” was false. Iranian military authorities have not expanded on that denial.

Internationally, officials sought to distance foreign militaries from the incident. A U.S. official said the blast “was not related to any US military action,” and an Israeli official said “Israel was not involved either.” The explosion occurred a day before a planned Iranian naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil moves, intensifying attention on the Gulf at a moment of heightened regional tension.

The immediate response focused on rescue, medical care and securing the damaged building and surrounding blocks. Emergency teams have cordoned the area and work continues to search for any additional victims or trapped residents. Municipal authorities and emergency services have not yet released a full timeline of the incident, the building's exact address or an authoritative structural assessment.

Investigators face several open questions: the building’s exact storey count and occupancy mix, the precise sequence that led to the explosion, and a confirmed tally of casualties. Officials have said the initial assessment points to an accidental gas build-up, but they have not concluded a formal inquiry or released a final report. With the Strait of Hormuz nearby and regional tensions already acute, local and international observers will be watching for further official findings and any effect on maritime security in coming days.