Dozens of people have lost their lives and a number of others sustained injuries after a huge explosion caused by a gas leak at a coal mine in the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan, Press TV reports.
A leak of methane gas led to the blast in two blocks of Madanjoo mine in the vicinity of Tabas on Saturday night, leaving 51 people dead and 20 others injured out of around 70 people working at the site.
"There was an explosion and unfortunately 69 people were working in the B and C blocks of Madanjoo mine. In block C there were 22 people and in block B there were 47 people," said South Khorasan governor Javad Ghenaatzadeh.
State TV broadcast footage of ambulances and helicopters arriving at the scene of the incident to transport the injured to hospital.
Online footage carried by IRNA showed the bodies of some of the victims, wearing their work uniforms and being carried out of the site on mining carts.
Iran's Red Crescent Society said search and rescue operations were underway in the mine but "gas accumulation in the mine" has made the search operations difficult.
bd-pratidin/GR
