A deadly explosion at a coal mine in Tabas, eastern Iran, has claimed the lives of at least 30 people, according to the governor of South Khorasan Province. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Earlier reports indicated that 24 individuals were still missing. Authorities are bracing for the possibility of more victims as the full scale of the disaster becomes clearer.
However, Entekhab news website in Tehran reported on mid-day Sunday local time that the death toll has risen to 51, with 20 people injured. The increase in fatalities has not yet been officially confirmed.
The accident was caused by a methane gas explosion in two blocks of the mine run by the Madanjoo company, state TV said. There were 69 workers in the blocks at the time of the explosion, it said.
"Seventeen injured people were transported to the hospital and 24 people are still missing," state TV earlier said citing the head of Iran's Red Crescent.
On Sunday morning, Javad Ghana'at, the governor of South Khorasan Province, confirmed that the death toll from the coal mine explosion had risen to 30, with 17 others injured. The explosion, which occurred at around 9 p.m. on Saturday, was initially reported by Iranian media to have claimed one life, with rescue teams unable to reach other trapped workers. The blast impacted two sections of the mine, where 22 workers were in Block B and 47 in Block C at the time of the incident.
Experts speaking to Iran International television explained that equipment in Iranian mines are sometimes defective, old or unsuitable to deal with potential dangers. Oxygen tanks are often not filled completely and devices to measure dangerous gases sometimes do not function.
The ministers of industry, and labor have been dispatched to Tabas by order of President Masoud Pezeshkian to follow up on the matter.
Local media report that Pezeshkian also emphasized that the cause of this incident should be “thoroughly investigated and announced, and any potential culprits should be dealt with firmly.”
The head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also said that “all aspects of the incident be quickly investigated and appropriate legal action be taken against any potential offenders.”