TEHRAN: At least five people lost their lives and more than 10 others were wounded following two separate explosions in different Iranian cities, media reports said.
According to news agencies, one of the blasts occurred on Saturday in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, located along Iran’s Gulf coast. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the explosion.
State television reported that the blast struck an eight-storey building in the Moallem Boulevard area, causing two floors to collapse. Nearby vehicles and shops also suffered damage.
Officials confirmed that one person was killed and 14 others were injured in the Bandar Abbas incident.
In another explosion, believed to have been caused by a gas leak, a four-storey residential building in the southwestern city of Ahvaz was damaged, resulting in the deaths of four members of a single family.
Rescue teams managed to pull a three-year-old child and a woman alive from beneath the rubble, officials said.
Iranian media dismissed claims that the explosion was aimed at a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Separately, an Israeli official denied any Israeli involvement in the explosions that struck residential buildings in Iran.
