A methane leak caused an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 51 people and injuring 17, Iranian state media reported today.
Another 24 miners are believed to be trapped in the rubble of the mine pit.
The report said the deaths occurred at a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran.
Authorities have dispatched emergency personnel to the area, the statement said.
Around 70 people were working there at the time of the explosion. State television later said 24 miners were believed to be trapped in the pit.
Provincial governor Mohamed Javad Kenat told state television that 51 miners were killed and 17 injured.
Iran’s new president, Massoud Pezeshkian, who is preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he had ordered all efforts to rescue the remaining miners and help their families.
He added that an investigation into the incident has begun.
Iran consumes about 3.5 million tons of coal annually, but only extracts about 1.8 million tons from its mines.
This is not the first disaster to hit Iran’s mining industry.
In 2013, 11 workers died in two separate mining incidents. In 2009, 20 workers died in several incidents.
At least 42 people died in a coal mine explosion in 2017.
Fatalities are often blamed on poor safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas.
