Four People Injured by Shiraz Blast

Islamic Republic News Agency:

Unofficial reports said four people were injured and five cars damaged as a result of a blast Monday morning in one of the major streets of the southern city of Shiraz, capital of Fars province. The explosion occurred at 8:00 hours local time (0430 GMT) Monday morning in sewage pipes leading to a bus terminal in the eastern part of the city.

No reports have been received on possible casualties, but eyewitnesses said a good portion of the street leading to the city's terminal was destroyed. READ MORE

People in the area were said to have been frightened by the sound of the explosion.

The chief of Shiraz's natural disaster headquarters, Hamid Taqi-Zadeh, told IRNA that disaster relief personnel, who were immediately dispatched to the site of the explosion, brought the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment.

"I was shocked by the explosion which occurred while I was driving down the street in the morning," said Morteza Molaei, 45, one of the injured in the blast.

He said he sustained injuries on his back and arm and was thrown out of his car into a nearby sewage canal.

According to IRNA's correspondant, debris from the explosion could be found 100 meters away from the site of the blast, which also dug a 3x20-meter hole in the street.

A thick column of smoke could be seen bellowing over the city's horizon early this morning while ambulances and police cars were rushing to the site.

A number of citizens in the southern city of Shiraz were injured by a blast occurred in a major street Based on the primary reports, the explosion has occurred Windows of the nearby building were smashed and people were frightened by the blast which also damaged a number of parked cars in the street.

No reports have been available yet on possible casualties but the street was mostly destroyed by the explosion, said the witnesses.

A thick column of smoke was in the city's sky while ambulances and police cars were rushing to the site of the incident.