At least 17 dead in massive ammunition depot explosion at Iran military base

By Rizwan Khatik - Sun Nov 13, 2:53 am

TEHRAN: An explosion at a Revolutionary Guard ammunition depot near the Iranian capital killed at least 17 soldiers on Saturday.

The explosion occurred while military personnel were transporting munitions at a base, said Guard spokesman Gen. Ramazan Sharif. The site is located outside Bidganeh village, 40 km southwest of the capital.

At least 17 Guard members were killed, state TV reported. The broadcast said 16 other soldiers were injured and hospitalized. Sharif said some of them were in critical condition.

Earlier, Sharif had said incorrectly that 27 soldiers were killed but later retracted his statement, explaining that the error was due to an illegible fax from officials at the site of the blast.

Lawmaker Parviz Soroori ruled out sabotage.