Gas explosion at Iranian coal mine kills at least 51, state media says

An explosion caused by a methane leak at a coal mine in eastern Iran killed at least 51 people and injured 20, according to Iranian state media broadcasts Sunday.

Images from the scene showed emergency personnel at the site, arriving in ambulances and helicopters. Teams on foot carried victims from the mine’s entrance. One man on a stretcher was covered in thick black soot. Other victims were being pulled out in metal mining carts.

Mohammad-Ali Akhondi, head of the provincial crisis management department, said the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to operate underground. He said many of those trapped are in a location that is “700 meters diagonally” beneath the surface.

The mine is located in Tabas, a city in the country’s east.

News of the blast first emerged late Saturday, when state media reported that emergency personnel were being sent to the area.

One report said around 70 people were working in the mine at the time of the explosion. Another report said those trapped could be in a tunnel as deep as 250 meters.

The Iranian Red Crescent said “gas accumulation in the mine” was also frustrating rescue efforts.

Iran’s new reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who will be addressing the United Nations General Assembly this week, issued a statement ordering an investigation into the “painful” incident.

“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the compatriots who lost their loved ones in this incident and consider myself a partner in their grief,” he said.

Local authorities announced three days of mourning in South Khorasan province, where the mine is located.