At least 31 people have been killed and 16 are injured after a methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, state media reports.
Another 17 miners are still unaccounted for after the explosion struck a mine in Tabas, some 335 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran, late on Saturday.
Local media had reported earlier in the day that 51 people were killed following the accident they said was caused
by a methane gas explosion in two blocks, B and C, of the privately-owned mine operated by the Madanjoo company.
The fate of those missing remained unknown as rescuers were still 400 metres away from their likely location.
They were expected to reach it by tomorrow after removing rubble and excess gas.
There were 69 people working in the mine at the time of the blast, Iranian state TV has reported.
Bridget Phillipson.
Pic: PA
The rescue operation at block B has reportedly been completed.
Methane density in block C is high and a rescue operation that is under way there is expected to take three to four hours, local governor Ali Akbar Rahimi told state TV earlier today.
“76% of the country’s coal is provided from this region and around 8 to 10 big companies are working in the region including Madanjoo company,” Mr Rahimi said.
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The scene outside the mine after the blast. Pic: AP
Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian, preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he ordered all efforts be made to rescue those trapped and aid their families.
He also said an investigation into the incident had begun.
This is not the first disaster to strike Iran’s mining industry.
In 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people, while 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents in 2013.
Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas are often blamed for the fatalities.
Iran annually consumes some 3.5 million tons of coal but only extracts about 1.8 million tons from its mines per year. The rest is imported, often consumed in the country’s steel mills.