At least 34 people have died and 17 others have been injured after a methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, state media reported.
Another 17 miners are believed to be trapped inside.
The explosion took place at the mine in Tabas, about 335 miles south-east of the capital, Tehran, on Saturday night. By Sunday, weeping miners stood alongside mine cars that brought up the bodies of their colleagues, all covered in coal dust.
Authorities are sending emergency personnel to the area.
Around 70 people had been working there at the time of the blast. State television later said that 17 were believed to be trapped inside in tunnels at a depth of 2,300ft below the surface. However, figures kept changing throughout Sunday, with some reports suggesting the death toll was higher.
It was not immediately clear what safety procedures were in place at the privately-owned Mandanjoo Co, which operated the Tabas Parvadeh 5 mine.
Iran’s new reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is preparing to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly, said that he ordered all efforts be made to rescue those trapped and aid their families. He also said an investigation into the explosion had begun.
Oil-producing Iran is also rich in a variety of minerals. The country annually consumes around 3.5 million tonnes of coal, but only extracts about 1.8 million tonnes from its mines per year. The rest is imported, often consumed in the country’s steel mills.
Iran’s mining industry has been struck by disaster before. In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in several incidents. In 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people.
