The Iranian state television reported that at least 51 people have died and 12 others were injured in an explosion caused by a gas leak at a coal mine in South Khorasan Province, with 20 people still trapped inside.

Mohammad Ali Akhoundi, the director of crisis management in the province, explained that the explosion occurred at the “Madanjo” mine in Tabas while 69 workers were on duty, noting that the emitted gas caused them to suffocate.

This is not the first tragedy to strike the mining industry in Iran, as the country has witnessed previous catastrophic incidents.

In 2013, 11 workers died in two separate accidents, while 20 workers were killed in multiple incidents in 2009. Additionally, a mine explosion in 2017 resulted in at least 42 fatalities.