At least 51 people were killed by an explosion caused by a gas leak in a coal mine in eastern Iran, it was reported on Sunday.
More than 20 people were injured in the blast that occurred in the South Khorasan province.
According to officials, the explosion was because of methane gas that ripped through two blocks of the Tabas mine 540 km southeast of Tehran. The blast occurred at 21:00 local time on Saturday.
South Khorasan Governor Javad Ghenaatzadeh confirmed the number of workers in charge during the explosion. “There was an explosion, and unfortunately 69 people were working in the B and C blocks of Madanjoo mine,” he told state news agency IRNA. “In block C, there were 22 people, and in block B, there were 47 people.”
It is still unclear how many employees might be alive or trapped inside the mine. Whereas initially 30 deaths were reported, the number of dead was changed later by state media to 51 and injured to 20.
An earlier report by state television quoted the head of Iran’s Red Crescent as putting the number of those missing at 24.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he was offering his condolences to the families of the victims. “I spoke with ministers and we will pursue it as much as possible, Pezeshkian said in televised remarks.
The Tabas mine is spread over an area of over 30,000 square kilometers and holds one of the country’s largest coal reserves, rich in coking and thermal coal, IRNA reported.
Local prosecutor Ali Nesaei said the buildup of gas inside the mine has complicated the search operations. “Currently, the priority is to provide aid to the injured and pull people from under the rubble,” he told state media.
Nesaei added that any negligence or fault of the responsible agents would be addressed later.
