Dozens dead and 17 feared trapped after explosion at coal mine in Iran

A rescue effort is underway as 17 miners are believed to be trapped in the mine's tunnels at a depth of 200 metres below the surface.

Transcript

00:00An explosion in a coal mine in eastern Iran killed at least 52 workers and injured 17

00:08others, local sources said on Sunday. The disaster marks one of the worst mining incidents

00:14in the country's history as others remained missing hours after the blast. Weeping miners

00:21stood alongside mine cars that brought up the bodies of their colleagues, all covered

00:26in coal dust.

00:28The Iranian Red Crescent Society is working on rescuing those still trapped below the

00:32surface. Authorities blamed the blast on a leak of methane gas. Such gases are common

00:39in mining, though modern safety measures call for ventilation and other measures to protect

00:44workers. It wasn't immediately clear what safety measures were in place at the mine

00:49in Tabas.