Iran industrial zone explosion kills one

The blast struck on the Razi industrial estate in Shahreza county and was caused by a welder working on an oil tank, local crisis management chief Mansour Shishehforoush told IRNA. (File/Shutterstock)

• The blast struck on the Razi industrial estate in Shahreza county and was caused by a welder working on an oil tank
• There has been a spate of fires and explosions at military and civilian sites across Iran since June

TEHRAN: An explosion killed a worker in an industrial zone in Iran’s central Isfahan province on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.
The blast struck on the Razi industrial estate in Shahreza county and was caused by a welder working on an oil tank, local crisis management chief Mansour Shishehforoush told IRNA.
“There was no oil inside the tank, but the welding caused the gas built up in it to explode.”
Firefighters later brought the blaze under control, IRNA said, adding that Razi is “one of the largest chemical production industrial zones” in Iran.
There has been a spate of fires and explosions at military and civilian sites across Iran since June.
A July blast caused damage at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant. Iranian authorities initially said it was an accident before later blaming sabotage.