Iran President Orders Acceleration of Efforts to Save Trapped Miners

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a message offered his condolences over the deaths of several workers in a mine explosion in northeastern Iran, saying all administrative bodies have been ordered to expedite rescue efforts.

In his Thursday message, President Rouhani said the tragic mine blast incident, which killed and injured a number of miners, has grieved the entire Iranian nation.

Rouhani said he has assigned First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri to do whatever necessary to relieve the pains of families of the victims, assess the magnitude of damages, and compensate victims of the incident.

Pointing to a delegation, comprised of the ministers of industry and labour, which was dispatched to the site of the incident as the first step, President Rouhani said all organizations should join hands to speed up the process of rescue operations.

In a separate message, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also expressed condolences to the labour community over the tragic incident, Tasnim reported.

Thirty-five coal miners died in ‘Zemestan-Yurt’ mine in Golestan Province after a gas explosion and raging fire on Wednesday. Twenty-five bodies have been retrieved from the mine so far.

The blast occurred at midday at a depth of 1,200 meters in the coal mine. Officials say the explosion occurred after a locomotive stalled at a depth of 700 meters and the workers tried to jump-start the vehicle with an external battery. Electric sparks triggered the explosion in the tunnel filled with methane.

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