Explosion near Iran’s capital kills two, damages factory

Two people were killed in an explosion at a factory in the south of Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday, in the latest in a series of fires and explosions, some of which have hit sensitive sites.

"Human error was the cause of the blast in a factory ... Two people were killed and three others were injured," said local official Amin Babai, adding that the explosion happened in "an industrial zone" at Baqershahr near Tehran.

"The explosion that was caused by some workers' negligent handling of oxygen tanks.... was so powerful that the walls of a factory nearby were also totally destroyed."

Last Thursday, a fire broke out at a ground level building at Iran's underground Natanz facility, the centrepiece of Iran's uranium enrichment programme, which the authorities said had caused significant damage.

Also last week, 19 people were killed in an explosion at a medical clinic in the north of Tehran, which an official said was caused by a gas leak.

On June 26, an explosion occurred east of Tehran near the Parchin military and weapons development base that authorities said was caused by a leak at a gas storage facility in an area outside the base.