Methane leak in Iran causes explosion in coal mine; 30 dead

A methane leak triggered an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more, state media reported on Sunday.

The state news agency IRNA reported the new death toll after initially reporting 19 deaths in the disaster.

The explosion occurred in a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran. Authorities said they had sent rescue workers to the area. At the time of the explosion late Saturday, about 70 people were working there.

State television reported that 24 people were believed to be trapped in the building and 28 others escaped and were taken to hospital.

Preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had ordered all efforts to be made to rescue those trapped and help their families, and said an investigation into the incident had begun.

Oil producer Iran is also rich in a variety of minerals. Iran consumes around 3.5 million tons of coal annually, but only extracts about 1.8 million tons per year from its mines. The rest is imported and often used in the country’s steel mills.

In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two mining accidents. In 2009, 20 workers died in several accidents. In 2017, at least 42 people were killed in an explosion in a coal mine.

Lax safety standards and inadequate rescue services in mining areas are often blamed for the many deaths.