Explosion at coating plant in northwestern Iran

At least 65 people were injured in an explosion at a coating factory in Iran's northwest province of East Azerbaijan at noon Monday.

Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing the emergency management department of East Azerbaijan province, said the explosion occurred at the Shahid Salimi industrial park in the province's Azashahr city and was caused by a flammable gas leak. Due to the large size of the explosion, the number of injured could still increase.

Some of the injured were taken to hospitals in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, and 10 of the workers were in critical condition, the report said, citing emergency services.

The Shahid Salimi Industrial Park is reported to be the largest industrial park in northwestern Iran, with about 790 factories and about 28,000 workers.