After one of the deadliest mine explosions in recent years, there are fears that dozens of miners are trapped.
Twenty people were injured and at least 51 people died in an explosion at a mine in eastern Iran, according to Iranian official media, which also stated that some workers were still trapped.
According to the IRNA news agency on Sunday, the explosion occurred as a result of a methane gas leak at a coal mine owned by the Madanjoo firm near Tabas, around 540 kilometers (335 miles) southeast of Tehran.
When the unexpected gas leak happened at 9:00 p.m. (1730 GMT) on Saturday, at least 69 workers were working in blocks B and C of the mine, according to the report.
Block B’s rescue mission is now finished. According to South Khorasan Province Governor Ali Akbar Rahimi, of the 47 workers in the block, 30 killed and 17 were injured, as reported by state TV.
He indicated that rescue efforts in block C have begun and that they will likely take three to four hours due to the high methane density in the area.”This region provides 76 percent of the country’s coal, and eight to ten large enterprises operate in the region,” Rahimi stated.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, announced that he had given the order to use all available means to free those who are confined and assist their families as he was getting ready to leave for the UN General Assembly in New York. He went on to say that the incident is now the subject of an investigation.
The mining sector in Iran has seen such tragedies before. A coal mine explosion in 2017 claimed the lives of at least 42 persons. Eleven laborers lost their lives in two different mining accidents in 2013. A minimum of twenty laborers lost their lives in multiple accidents in 2009.
Many times, the deaths in mining areas are attributed to lax safety regulations and insufficient emergency services.
