34 people have been killed and 17 others injured following an explosion at a coal mine in Iran.
Another 17 miners are trapped inside the coal mine that exploded after a methane leak.
It took place in Tabas, about 335 miles south east of the capital, Tehran, yesterday night.
At the time of the blast around 70 people had been working in the area.
The miners that are currently trapped are believed to be at a depth of 2,300ft, according to state television.
Miners stood alongside mine cars that brought up the bodies of their colleagues, all covered in coal dust.
The mine is owned by the privately-owned Mandanjoo Co.
It is not yet clear what safety procedures were in place before the blast happened.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he ordered efforts be made to rescue those trapped and aid their families.
He also confirmed an investigation into the explosion has been launched.
Iran annually consumes around 3.5 million tonnes of coal, but only extracts about 1.8 million tonnes from its mines each year.
The rest is imported, often consumed in the country’s steel mills.
The country’s mining industry has been struck by disaster before.
11 workers were killed in 2013 in two separate mining incidents.
20 workers were killed in several incidents in 2009 and in 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people.
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