Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Death toll from a coal mine explosion in Iran rises to 50

Iran state TV says the death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran rose to 50 after one of the miners injured in the weekend blast died in hospital

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 25 September 2024 11:40 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran rose to 50 on Wednesday after one of the miners who was injured in the weekend blast died in hospital, the Iranian state television reported.

A methane gas leak sparked an explosion on Saturday at the mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers (335 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. Such gases are common in mining, though modern safety measures call for ventilation and other measures to protect workers.

It wasn’t immediately clear what safety procedures were in place at the privately owned Tabas Parvadeh 5 mine, operated by Mandanjoo Co. The firm could not be reached for comment.

Iranian state TV said out of the 17 injured miners, nine were hospitalized, one of whom died on Wednesday.

The bodies of 49 workers who were killed in the blast have been recovered and the operation concluded on Wednesday morning, leaving no one unaccounted for. There were 66 miners at work at the time of the explosion.

Iran’s mining industry has been struck by disasters before. In 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people. In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents. In 2009, several incidents killed a total of 20 workers.

Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas were often blamed for the fatalities.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in