Death toll rises to 30 after methane leak causes explosion at coal mine in eastern Iran, state television reports

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more, state media reported Sunday.

The state news agency IRNA announced a new death toll from the Tabas mine disaster, saying at least 30 people were killed.

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.

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A methane leak triggered an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran. IranAt least 19 people were killed and 28 others injured, Iranian state television reported on Sunday. Another 24 miners are believed to be trapped inside.

According to the report, the deaths occurred in a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran.

Authorities said they had sent emergency personnel to the area after the explosion late Saturday. Around 70 people were working there at the time of the blast. State television later reported that 24 people were believed to be trapped in the building, while 28 others who escaped alive were taken to hospital.

Iran's new reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he had ordered all efforts to be made to rescue those trapped and help their families. He also 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.

This is not the first disaster to hit the Iranian mining industry. In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining accidents. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in several incidents. In 2017 Explosion in a coal mine At least 42 people were killed.

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