Explosion in coal mine in eastern Iran kills at least 34 workers
TEHRAN, Iran — An explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran killed at least 34 workers and injured 17 others, authorities said Sunday, marking one of the worst mining disasters in the country’s history as more people remained missing hours after the blast.
The blast hit a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers (338 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, on Saturday night. On Sunday, weeping miners stood beside the carts that brought up the bodies of their colleagues, all covered in coal dust.
About 70 people were working at the time of the explosion. State television later said 17 people were likely trapped 200 meters deep in a 700-meter tunnel. However, figures continued to change throughout Sunday regarding the disaster in the rural area, with some reports suggesting the death toll was higher.
A provincial emergency official, Mohammad Ali Akhoundi, told the official IRNA news agency on Sunday afternoon that the death toll had reached at least 34 people as rescue efforts continued.
Survivors interviewed by state television, still covered in coal dust, described chaotic scenes after the explosion.
“We were in the mine, working. Suddenly smoke rose… then I noticed I was having trouble breathing,” said one miner, whose identity was not revealed by state television. “I jumped out of the workshop and ran to a safe place. My friends stayed there.”
Authorities blamed the explosion on a methane gas leak. The gas is common in mines, but modern safety measures require ventilation and other measures to protect workers.
It was not immediately clear what safety procedures were in place at the privately-owned Mandanjoo Co., which operates the Tabas Parvadeh 5 mine. The company could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Iran’s new reformist president, Massoud Pezeshkianwho was preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he had ordered that every effort be made to rescue those stranded and help their families. He also said an investigation into the explosion had been opened.
“I spoke with the ministers of health, interior and security and ordered that the problems of the families of the victims and the injured be quickly resolved,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office. “I also requested that measures be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again by improving labor standards in the country’s mines.”
But Iran’s mining industry has been hit by disasters before. In 2017, a coal mine explosion At least 42 people were killed. Then-President Hassan Rouhani, campaigning for re-election, visited the site in Iran’s northern Golestan province, and angry miners besieged the SUV he was riding in, kicking and hitting the armored vehicle in a fit of rage.
In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining accidents. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in multiple incidents. Lack of safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas have often been blamed for these deaths.
Iran, an oil producer, is also rich in minerals. The country consumes about 3.5 million tons of coal per year, but extracts only 1.8 million tons from its mines per year. The rest is imported, often consumed by the country’s steel mills.
