Iran Press/ Iran news: At least 51 people were killed following a gas explosion in a coal mine in Iran's South Khorasan province.
The incident occurred at around 21:00 local time on Saturday in one of the mines of Tabas city.
At least 51 people were killed and 17 others were injured in the incident.
Mohammad-Ali Akhondi, the director general of the provincial crisis management department, said on Sunday that the accident was caused by a methane gas explosion on Saturday night in two blocks of the mine.
At least 34 workers suffocated due to the rapid release of methane and carbon monoxide. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations are difficult due to underground conditions.
It is said that speedy rescue operation is stressed, adding “but the reality is that it is a difficult task to rescue the injured from a depth of 700 meters diagonally and 250 meters vertically underground.”
There were 69 workers in the blocks at the time of the explosion in the mine located in Tabas, a city in central-eastern Iran.
Relief teams were immediately dispatched to the scene of the incident. A rescue operation is underway.
