Authorities were sending emergency personnel to the area after the blast late Saturday, it said. Around 70 people had been working there at the time of the blast. State TV later said 24 people were believed to be trapped inside.

A suspected explosion has killed at least 28 people at a coal mine in Iran, according to the state broadcaster. Several others are believed to be trapped inside.

Methane leak sparks blast

Around 30 people died and 17 people were injured in the blast at a coal mine in Tabas, some 335 miles southeast of Tehran. It is estimated that 24 miners are trapped inside

‘A leak of methane gas led to the blast in two blocks of the mine’

At least 51 people are reported to have been killed after a gas leak sparked a blast in eastern Iran.

A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens, Iranian state television reported on Sunday.

A further 17 people are injured and 24 miners are believed to be trapped after the explosion in Tabas.

Twenty-four people are still missing following the gas explosion.

A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 19 people and injuring another 17, Iranian state television reported on Sunday.

A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens of others, state media reported.