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- The explosion injured 16 people, while 17 miners were still missing and their fate remained unknown, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said
- Rescue teams were still 400 meters away from the likely location and were expected to reach there by Monday after removing rubble and excess gas
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday extended his condolences to President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Iranian people after a coal mine blast killed more than 30 people in the country.
The gas explosion in a coal mine in Iran’s South Khorasan province killed at least 31 people and injured 16 others, according to Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.
Seventeen miners were still missing as rescue teams were still 400 meters away from the likely location and were expected to reach it by Monday after removing rubble and excess gas.
In his message on X, Sharif extended condolences to President Pezeshkian and the Iranian people on the loss of precious lives.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” he said. “Pakistan stands with its Iranian brethren during this time.”
There were 69 workers present in blocks B and C at the time of the explosion at the privately-owned mine operated by the Madanjoo company, state TV reported.
“Seventy-six percent of the country’s coal is provided from this region and around 8 to 10 big companies are working in the region including Madanjoo company,” Ali Akbar Rahimi, governor of the South Khorasan province, told state TV on Sunday.
The mine went through inspections last month and complied with all safety regulations, Labour Minister Ahmad Meydari told state media, denying any case of negligence and adding that such “sudden events also happen in the most advanced mines globally.”
An investigation into the incident has been ordered by the country’s public prosecutor.