Iran revises port blast death toll to 57, arrests 2 over safety failures

TEHRAN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Sunday revised the death toll from a major explosion at its main commercial port late last month down to 57 from 70, while state television reported two arrests in connection with the blast.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Hormozgan province's Chief Justice Mojtaba Qahremani as saying the updated figure for the April 26 blast at Shahid Rajaee Port includes 46 recovered and identified bodies and 11 people still missing.

Qahremani explained that the initial count was lowered after forensic examinations determined that some body parts collected separately belonged to the same individuals. A special working group has been established to follow up on the missing, he added.

State television reported separately on Sunday that two people, including a government official, had been arrested over the explosion.

The blast and ensuing fire injured more than 1,200 people, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, which said search and rescue efforts at the site ended on Sunday.

Authorities have pointed to safety failures as contributing to the incident. A provincial crisis management statement cited failures in observing safety and passive defense measures, while Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni referred to "certain negligence" last Monday.

Shahid Rajaee Port, located in the southern Hormozgan province, is Iran's largest maritime hub, handling the vast majority of the country's container traffic and more than half of its total trade.■