50 killed after methane leak causes massive explosion at coal mine in Iran
by Sunita · KalingaTVIran: As many as 50 people were killed in a massive explosion at a coal mine in Iran’s South Khorasan Province. According to local channels, the explosion occurred at 9 pm on Saturday (September 21). In this explosion, over 20 people were injured and many people are still missing. The accident was caused by a methane gas explosion in two blocks of the mine.
At the time of the explosion, there were 69 workers in the blocks, as per reports. The country’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed grief over the loss of life and sent condolences to the victims’ families. The President Masoud Pezeshkian has ensured all efforts be made to rescue those trapped and aid their families. He has also ordered an investigation into the incident.
In a similar incident, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents in 2013. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in several incidents and 42 people were killed in a similar mine explosion in 2017. Inadequate safety standards and non availability of emergency services in mining areas are often blamed for the fatalities.
Iran, which is one of the highest producing oil-producing country, only extracts about 1.8 million tons from its mines per year. However, due to the country’s steel mills the annual consumption amount reaches up to 3.5 million tons of coal. The extra coal were often imported.