Russia dispatches special firefighting planes to Iran

TEHRAN, Apr. 27 (MNA) – The Iranian ambassador to Moscow has said that Russia has sent three special airplanes to Iran to help the Iranians following the tragic blast and subsequent fire at Shahid Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

News ID: 2001184

EghtesadOnline: "Following a nighttime call from my respective country's officials to request assistance from the Russian Federation to contain the fire, I immediately contacted that country's authorities (at midnight on Saturday) and, despite the official holiday, they dispatched three special firefighting aircraft, including two B-200s and one Ilyushin-76, carrying rescue forces to contain the fire at Shahid Rajaee Port, as quickly as possible at midnight," said Kazem Jalali in a post in Russian language on X.

"The support, cooperation, and sympathy of the neighboring country, the Russian Federation, reflects the depth of friendship and strategic cooperation between the two countries. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims of the heartbreaking explosion in Shahid Rajaee Port and wish a speedy recovery to those injured in this incident," the Iranian ambassador added in his post.

Earlier, the Russian Embassy in Tehran said in a post on its Telegram channel on Sunday that Putin has issued an order to immediately dispatch several planes from the Ministry of Emergency Situations to Iran along with experienced specialists to assist in dealing with the aftermath of the blast.

On Saturday, a powerful blast rocked the port of Shahid Rajaee in Hormozgan Province after a fuel tanker exploded for reasons still under investigation.

The tragic incident has so far claimed 40 lives and injured more than 900 people.