Hassan Sadeghi, the head of the Iranian Veteran Workers’ Association, told Entekhab news website on Sunday that the rate of mine accidents in Iran is higher than other countries, like China, Japan and West Asian states.
He noted, “We see the effects of sanctions in mining accidents, but we do not want to believe that our mining losses are caused by lack of technology.”
Sadeghi explained, “Due to the sanctions, we did not have the alarm technology to warn the miners ten minutes before the accident.”
He called on American labor associations to pile pressure on the US government to allow Iranian workers to access the required technology and security equipment.
The mine accident in Iran’s South Khorasan province was caused by gas accumulation and led to the death of over 52 workers and injury of at least 20 others. Several other workers are still trapped in the mine.
