Fire and blast at Iran cosmetics factory injure 53

 A huge fire and explosion, possibly caused by a gas leak, injured 53 people at a cosmetics factory near the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday, state media reported.

Some of the injured at the plant in the town of Fardis, Alborz province, were in critical condition, state media said.

"Based on preliminary investigation, the blast was caused by a gas leak in parts of the production line of the factory," state TV quoted an official as saying. "Those wounded people have been transferred to nearby hospitals."

Last week, two explosions in southeast Iran killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone in 2020.

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