Death toll rises to 32 after methane leak causes explosion at eastern Iran coal mine, state TV says

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 32 people and injuring 17 others, Iranian state media reported Sunday. Another 18 miners are believed to be trapped inside.

The report said the deaths happened at a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 kilometers (335 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran.

Authorities were sending emergency personnel to the area after the blast late Saturday, it said. Around 70 people had been working there at the time of the blast. State television later said that 18 were believed to be trapped inside in tunnels at a depth of 700 meters (2,300 feet) below the surface.

Iran’s new reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, preparing to travel to New York for the U.N. 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. Iran annually consumes around 3.5 million tons of coal, but only extracts about 1.8 million tons 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.

Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas are often blamed for the fatalities.