MILAN, Italy - A powerful fuel tanker explosion rocked the key Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, southwestern Iran, on Saturday, with the extent of damage yet unclear, though heavy casualties are expected, with authorities reporting almost 600 people injured as of the time of writing this article.

Babk Yektaparast, spokesperson for Iran’s emergency organization, said that at least 561 people were injured in the blast, adding that dozens of ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the incident.

“The exact cause of the explosion in Shahid Rajaee Port is still not clear, but several scenarios are being investigated by relevant authorities and will be announced to the public as soon as they are accurately determined,” said Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani.

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that no exact information is currently available about the number of dead and injured but stated that “the intensity of the explosion was so high that it caused extensive damage,” predicting a heavy toll of casualties.

The blast wave destroyed a nearby office building, according to Tasnim.

“The explosion occurred in a part of the Shahid Rajaee port dock, and we are extinguishing the fire,” Iranian state television cited Esmaeil Malekizadeh, a senior Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration official, as saying.

The explosion comes amid rising tensions between India and Iran’s neighbor Pakistan, after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for a deadly gunmen attack in Indian-run Kashmir on Tuesday, in which at least 26 people were killed. Pakistan has denied involvement.

Iran has condemned the attack, called on both parties to exercise restraint, and offered to mediate between the two countries to help reduce the tensions.

Updated at 14:37 with latest casualty figures