Iran coal mine blast caused by methane leak kills 30 and injures 17

Two dozen workers still trapped in mine in South Khorasan province

File. Miners and rescue personnel carry an injured mine worker after a coal mine explosion near Azadshahr, Iran, in 2020 (AP)

At least 30 people died and 17 were injured in a coal mine blast triggered by a gas explosion in South Khorasan province, state media reported on Sunday.

Another 24 people were reported to be trapped in the mine while 28 who escaped the explosion were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The explosion took place at around 9pm local time on Saturday, IRNA news agency said.

The explosion was reportedly caused by a methane gas leak in blocks B and C of the mine run by the Madanjoo company. The coal mine is located in Tabas, around 540km southeast of the capital Tehran.

Around 70 workers were reportedly inside the two blocks when the explosion took place.

Initial reports said the death toll was 17 while a dozen were injured. The death toll was confirmed by provincial governor Mohammad Javad Qenaat.

Iranian officials said emergency personnel were already at the site. President Masoud Pezeshkian said efforts were underway to rescue the trapped workers and aid their families as he prepared to leave for New York for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session.

An investigation into the explosion had begun, the president added.

This isn’t the first disaster to strike Iran’s mining industry. At least 42 people were killed in a coal mine explosion in 2017 and 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents in 2013.

In the past, reports blamed lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas as the primary factors behind such accidents.

Iran is rich in a variety of minerals. It annually consumes some 3.5 million tonnes of coal but only extracts about 1.8 million tonnes from its mines. The rest is imported and mostly consumed by the country’s steel mills.