Iran mine blast toll rises to 38; 14 still missing

Rescuers at the mine in South Khorasan Province, Iran. Pic/AFP

Rescuers on Monday recovered the bodies of more workers killed in an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, bringing the death toll in the disaster to at least 38, officials said. Another 14 miners are still believed to be trapped below ground.

The blast struck the coal mine in Tabas, about 540 km southeast of Tehran, on Saturday night. On Sunday, weeping miners stood alongside mine cars that brought up the bodies of their colleagues.

Survivors, still smudged in coal dust, described chaotic scenes after the blast. "We were in the mine, working. Suddenly there was some smoke rising... then I noticed I had difficulty breathing," said one miner. "I jumped off from the workshop and I scrambled until I reached somewhere (safe). My friends (remained) in there."

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