An explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran has resulted in the deaths of at least 51 people, with 20 others injured, according to Iranian state television.
The blast, caused by a methane gas leak, occurred at a mine operated by the Madanjoo company in Tabas, about 540 km southeast of Tehran, the IRNA news agency reported.
At the time of the incident, 69 miners were working in sections B and C of the mine. The gas leak happened at 9:00 pm local time on Saturday.
Rescue efforts in block B, where 47 workers were present, have concluded. Of those, 30 died and 17 were injured, as confirmed by South Khorasan Province Governor Ali Akbar Rahimi.
Rescue operations in block C are ongoing, but are hindered by high methane levels, with completion expected to take several hours.
The Tabas region is a key coal supplier in Iran, producing 76 percent of the country’s coal through several major companies.
This tragedy follows a series of mining disasters in Iran, including a 2017 explosion that claimed 42 lives and other fatal incidents in previous years.
