An explosion caused by a gas leak at a coal mine in eastern Iran has killed at least 51 people, state media said on Sunday.
More than 20 others were injured after the accident. Explosion in South Khorasan Province.
The incident was reported to have been caused by a methane gas explosion in two blocks of the mine in the city of Tabas, 540 kilometres (335 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran.
State media reported that the explosion occurred at 21:00 local time (17:30 GMT) on Saturday.
South Khorasan Governor Javad Qanatzadeh said 69 workers were inside the building at the time of the explosion.
“There was an explosion, and unfortunately 69 people were working on floors B and C,” he said, according to the Associated Press. Blocks from Madango Mine.
“In block C there were 22 people and in block B there were 47 people.”
It is not yet clear how many people are still alive and trapped inside the mine.
State media has now revised down its earlier death toll to 30.
“The number of dead workers has risen to 51 and the number of injured to 20,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
State television said earlier on Sunday, citing the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, that 24 people were missing.
Reuters news agency reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
“I spoke with the ministers and we will do our best to follow up on the matter,” Bezeshkian said in televised remarks.
The Tabas mine covers an area of ​​more than 30,000 square kilometers (about 11,600 square miles) and contains huge reserves of lignite and thermal coal, according to IRNA.
“It is considered the richest and largest coal region in Iran,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said.
“Accumulation of gas in the mine” has made search operations difficult, state media quoted local prosecutor Ali Nasee as saying.
“The priority now is to provide assistance to the injured and rescue people from under the rubble,” Nasee added.
He added that “negligence and error by the concerned authorities will be dealt with” at a later time.
Last year, an explosion at a coal mine in the northern city of Damghan killed six people, also likely the result of a methane gas leak, according to local media.
In May 2021, two workers were killed in a collapse at the same site, local media reported at the time.
In 2017, an explosion killed 43 miners at a mine in the northern Iranian city of Azadshahr, sparking anger at Iranian authorities.
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