Bandar Abbas refinery blast kills one and injures four after gas leak

Explosion took place during emergency repairs at complex in southern Iran

A fire in July at an oil refinery in Bandar Abbas, Iran. One worker was killed in a blast at a similar plant in the city last week. Isna / Wana via Reuters

One person was killed and four injured in an incident involving a gas leak at Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery in southern Iran last week, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

The Iranian Oil Ministry's Shana news agency said the incident occurred late on September 22 during emergency repairs, adding that five maintenance workers were hurt, with one since dying from their injuries.

"During the emergency repair operation in one of the process units of this refinery, five people were injured and one of the injured died on Monday," an official from Bandar Abbas refinery told state media.

The incident did not affect production at the refinery, which is one of Iran's largest, Shana added.

Two days before the blast, 21 people were injured in an incident in Rizan Steel Factory's industrial production unit in Qom, state news agency Irna reported.

They sustained burns of varying degrees, Hossein Taghizadeh of Qom University of Medical Sciences told Irna.

At least three ambulances were sent to the site and the injured were taken to Khairin Salamat Hospital, Mr Taghizadeh said.

In July, eight firefighters were injured while responding to a blaze in the Aftab Oil refinery complex in Bandar Abbas.