Gas leak claims 51 lives in Iranian coal mine

A gas leak that caused an explosion in an Iranian coal mine has left 51 people dead, Iranian state media reported, adding that rescue efforts for the survivors in the mine have been challenging.

The explosion occurred in two blocks of the Madanjoo mine in Tabas, South Khorasan, eastern Iran. The mine is operated by a local private company, Madanjoo Company.

“It is too early to draw conclusions about the incident, but my 30 years of experience suggests that a sudden gas explosion is likely the cause of this large-scale incident,” Saeed Samadi, secretary of the Iranian Coal Industry Association, told Iranian media, as quoted by the Financial Times.

“The Tabas mine accident apparently occurred above the workers in one of the workshops. The explosion was so violent that it caused many fatalities, including the death of the mine's safety manager,” he added.

A total of 69 workers were in the part of the mine where the explosion occurred, leading to the death of at least 34 people from suffocation, IRNA reported. Rescue operations are underway, “but the reality is that it is a difficult task to rescue the injured from a depth of 700 meters diagonally and 250 meters vertically underground,” the head of the local emergency department told the state news agency.

According to the IRNA report, the workers are trapped behind mine chambers that still contain dangerously high levels of methane.

“76% of the country's coal comes from this region and about eight to ten large companies operate in the region, including the Madanjoo company,” the governor of South Khorasan province said, according to Reuters.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the accident and ordered the dispatch of additional rescue personnel to the site of the explosion.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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