Death toll in mine explosion in Iran rises to 51

TEHRAN — A mine explosion in eastern Iran killed 51 people, state media reported on Sunday, raising the previous death toll from 30 to 15.

“The number of workers killed has risen to 51 and the number of injured to 20,” the official IRNA news agency reported.

Javad Ghenaat, governor of South Khorasan province, where the mine is located, said on state television that rescue teams were working to rescue 22 trapped workers.

DEADLY EXPLOSION A photo provided by the Iranian Red Crescent shows security forces gathered at the scene of an explosion at a coal mine in Tabas, in Iran's Khorasan province, on September 22, 2024. AFP Photo

According to IRNA, “17 other people were injured” in the explosion on Saturday at around 9 p.m., when 69 workers were at the construction site.

It was said that a methane gas leak caused the explosion in two blocks of the mine.

State television showed footage of ambulances and helicopters arriving at the scene to take the injured to hospitals.

IRNA footage published on the Internet showed the bodies of some of the victims, dressed in work uniforms, being taken out of the mining site on mining carts.

Before leaving for the UN General Assembly in New York, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a speech broadcast on state television and ordered an investigation into the deadly incident.

“Unfortunately, we have learned that an accident occurred in one of the coal mines in Tabas and several of our compatriots were killed. I express my condolences to their families,” Pezeshkian said.

Its first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, spoke with cabinet members to ensure “emergency care” and support for the victims and their families, IRNA said.

The Iranian Red Crescent said search and rescue operations were underway at the mine, where some workers were still trapped.

“Gas accumulations in the mine” have made search efforts more difficult, local prosecutor Ali Nesaei was quoted as saying by IRNA.

“The priority right now is to provide assistance to the injured and rescue people from the rubble,” Nesaei said.

He added that the “negligence and fault of the agents concerned will be dealt with later.”