Iran filming marred when ‘TNT blast’ kills five crew
Filming specialist blames government for banning the import of specialized material
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 Wednesday, media reported.
Two other crew were hurt in the explosion, in a car transporting the material to the set, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) 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, criticized authorities for banning the import of specialized 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.
