Iranian officials announced a tragedy over the weekend after it was revealed that a gas explosion in a coal mine is responsible for the loss of dozens of lives of mine workers. 

According to Reuters, an explosion at a coal mine in Iran's South Khorasan Province killed dozens, with the latest numbers indicating at least 51 deaths, likely with more to come as the chaos is sorted out.

The country's interior minister Eskandar Momeni made the saddening announcement to the country's state-run media outlet.

The numbers were slightly skewed as many of the workers were still considered "missing" and their status was unknown at the time of the report.

What's going on?

Rescue workers, as of the latest reports, were busy getting through the rubble and chaos to attempt to find the missing workers. In total, there were 69 workers in the area where the explosion occurred.

Dozens killed, injured in Iran coal mine blast; An explosion caused by a methane gas leak, last night in a coal mine tunnel of Madanjoo Company in Tabas, eastern #Iran, where 69 miners were working, has left at least 51 people dead, 20 injured, and many others trapped. pic.twitter.com/DNjM1Tv3ss

— Ali Javanmardi (@Javanmardi75) September 22, 2024

CNN noted:

“76% 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,” the governor of South Khorasan Province Ali Akbar Rahimi told state TV on Sunday.

Labour minister Ahmad Meydari announced that the coal mine had undergone the appropriate safety inspections recently, being careful to note that negligence of any kind was not responsible for the explosion.

"Sudden events also happen in the most advanced mines globally," Meydari said.

Reuters noted:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian sent their condolences to the victims' families.

Organizations criticize

An X account called IranHumanRight.org slammed the Iranian government in a post mourning the dead at the coal mine.

"We express our profound sorrow and outrage over the recent preventable tragedy at the coal mine in Tabas, in Iran’s South Khorasan province. These deaths are a direct result of a government that not only neglects worker safety but also punishes those who demand it," the organization wrote.

"At least 51 were reported killed and 20 others injured due to a devastating methane leak explosion on Sunday, marking one of the country's deadliest work incidents in years. Additionally, at least 24 miners may still be trapped inside," it added.

"This disaster lays bare the Iranian government's ongoing failure to ensure safe working conditions, particularly in high-risk industries like mining. Iran is notorious for its unsafe working environments as well as its repression of labor rights leaders who have called for workplace safety reforms."