5 killed in Iran film shoot blast

Tehran: An accidental blast killed five special effects crew of an Iranian film when real-life explosives detonated as they were being delivered to the set on Wednesday, media reported.

Two other crew were hurt in the explosion that took place in a car transporting the material to the set, some 30km southwest of Tehran, the Isna news agency reported.

The Mehr news agency said the explosives were TNT.

A member of the movie industry’s special effects union, Abbas Shoghi, criticised authorities for banning the import of specialised material.

“We are forced to use real-life explosives for a movie shoot because security authorities do not allow the import of props that are used in movies,” Shoghi told Isna.

The movie, called Merajiha (Ascensionists), is a war film built around a story of soldiers going to heaven after they are killed. It is being directed by Masoud Dehnamaki, known for his controversial Outcasts trilogy.