A Truck Carrying Military Ammunition Exploded on the Qazvin-Zanjan Highway

Iranian media reported that the explosion of a truck carrying ammunition on the Qazvin-Zanjan highway caused the road to be blocked for several hours and resulted in injuries to the driver and a police officer. This incident occurred on Thursday evening, July 31. According to the IRNA news agency, 'the terrifying sound from this explosion was heard several times in the area,' and the intensity of the explosion was such that nearby buildings 'shook violently.' Additionally, based on footage released from the incident, the truck exploded in several stages. Following the explosion, police forces blocked both directions of the highway. Road police officials stated that the highway was reopened after several hours and traffic resumed. Reza Ghorosi, the head of the crisis management office of Qazvin province, denied rumors of two fatalities in the explosion, stating that only one police officer and the truck driver were injured. Payman Namdari, the head of the emergency medical center of Qazvin province, also announced that the truck driver 'was treated on-site' and 'one person was injured due to shrapnel from the explosion and was transferred to Takestan Hospital for further treatment, and this individual was discharged after treatment.' Some officials in Qazvin province attributed the cause of the incident to 'a tire blowout' of the truck and its collision with the highway guardrail. However, Mohammad Reza Hamidi, the head of Iran's road police, stated that 'the rear tire of the truck caught fire, and the fire spread to the truck's cargo, leading to the fire and explosion of the truck's cargo.' According to Mohammad Rahmani, the head of the Takestan fire department, this truck was carrying 'military artillery shells' which exploded after the truck overturned. Additionally, some local officials indicated that this truck was traveling from Tabriz to Tehran. In this regard, Ramadan Sharif, the public relations officer of the IRGC, told the Fars news agency: 'This incident involved one of the trucks carrying artillery shells belonging to one of the IRGC units, which became very hot due to a tire blowout and collision with the roadside guardrail, resulting in a fire and explosion.' Iranian media reports did not mention how this truck was moving on the highway and whether it was escorted by special vehicles. In Iranian traffic laws, there is a regulation for transporting hazardous materials that outlines conditions for loading these materials, how vehicles should move and stop, and some other details.