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A handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent shows security forces gathered at the scene of a blast at a coal mine in Tabas in Iran's Khorasan province on September 22, 2024. - Credit: AFP
A blast caused by a gas leak at an Iranian coal mine has killed at least 51 people, state media reported on Sunday, marking one of the country’s deadliest workplace accidents in years.
“The number of deceased workers has risen to 51” following the explosion at the Tabas mine in eastern Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported, revising an earlier death toll of 30.
It added that 20 other people were injured.
The explosion occurred at around 9:00 pm (1730 GMT) on Saturday, when approximately 70 workers were present at the site in South Khorasan province, according to IRNA.
The report stated that a methane gas leak led to the explosion in two sections of the mine, which is owned by the private Iranian firm, Madanjoo.
State TV broadcast footage of ambulances and helicopters arriving at Tabas to transport the injured to hospital.
Online footage shared by IRNA showed the bodies of some victims, still wearing their work uniforms, being carried out of the site on mining carts.
South Khorasan Governor Javad Ghenaat told state TV that rescue teams were working to recover the remaining bodies.
An apparent “gas condensation” in the mine is believed to be the cause of the explosion, said Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who was en route to Tabas.
Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, in remarks carried by state TV before departing for the UN General Assembly in New York, expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and ordered an investigation into the incident.
“Unfortunately, we learned of the accident at one of the coal mines in Tabas, where several of our compatriots lost their lives. I offer my condolences to their grieving families,” Pezeshkian said.
His first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, held discussions with cabinet members to ensure “emergency follow-up” and support for the victims and their families, according to IRNA.
Authorities have declared three days of public mourning in the eastern province following the deadly explosion, local media reported.
Trapped Workers –
Iran’s Red Crescent said search and rescue operations were ongoing at the mine, where some workers remained trapped.
According to IRNA, the trapped workers were located about 250 metres (820 feet) below the surface, cut off from rescuers by chambers filled with concentrated methane gas.
“Gas accumulation in the mine” has complicated search efforts, local prosecutor Ali Nesaei told IRNA.
“Currently, the priority is to aid the injured and retrieve people from under the rubble,” Nesaei added.
He also noted that “negligence and fault by the relevant personnel will be addressed” later.
Last year, an explosion at a coal mine in the northern city of Damghan claimed six lives, also likely due to a methane leak, according to local reports.
In May 2021, two miners were killed in a collapse at the same site, local media reported at the time.
A 2017 blast in the city of Azad Shahr in northern Iran killed 43 miners, prompting widespread anger towards the authorities.
Mineral-rich Iran is reported to have around 1.5 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves, according to state media.
The Tabas mine covers an area of over 30,000 square kilometres (nearly 11,600 square miles) and contains vast reserves of both coking and thermal coal, IRNA reported.
It is considered “the richest and largest coal area in Iran,” IRNA said.
AFP
