The deadly incident happened in Parvardeh coal mine in South Khorasan province on Saturday at 22:21 local time (18:51 GMT).
Forty specialized rescue teams and helicopters have been deployed to the site of accident to recover the dead bodies and take the wounded to the hospital.
Director General of Crisis Management of South Khorasan Province, Mohammad Ali Akhundi, said the number of casualties will rise as 69 people were working in the mine when the gas explosion happened.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, before leaving Tehran for New York to take part in the 79th annual UN General Assembly session, expressed condolences to the victims’ families
Elias Hazrati, the head of the Government’s Information Council, said the labor and mining ministers have left for South Khorasan Province, as ordered by the president, to hold related meetings.
He added the Red Crescent and emergency forces are on standby and the interior minister is following up on the issue and has issued necessary orders in this regard.
