Coal mine explosion kills at least 51, injures 20 in Iran

More than 50 people have been killed and over 20 others are missing after a coal mine explosion in eastern Iran, according to a provisional report on Sunday, September 22. “The number of workers killed has risen to 51 and the number of injured to 20” in this accident which occurred in the Tabas mine, indicated the official news agency Irna.

A methane leak at 9pm local time on Saturday caused an explosion in two blocks of the mine, where 69 workers were at the time. Rescue teams are working to save 22 people trapped, the governor of South Khorasan province, where the mine is located, told state television.

Search and rescue operations are complicated by “gas accumulation in the mine”explained the local prosecutor, who added that “[la] “The priority is to help the injured and free those trapped under the rubble. The negligence and fault of the officers involved will be dealt with.” Later. President Massoud Pezeshkian presented his “condolences” to the victims’ families and ordered an investigation.

Last year, an explosion at a coal mine in the northern city of Damghan killed six people, likely due to a methane leak, according to local media. In May 2021, two miners died in a cave-in at the same site. In 2017, an explosion killed 43 miners in Azad Shahr, angering Iranian authorities.