Conflicting Reports on the Arrest of the CEO of the Zemestan Yurt Mine in Golestan

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the arrest of the CEO of the Zemestan Yurt mine in Azadshahr, as reported by Iranian media. While the police chief of Golestan province announced the arrest of the mine's president on Thursday, May 14, the head of the Golestan judiciary dismissed the news as a rumor. News agency ISNA and the Iran newspaper quoted Ali Akbar Javidan, the police chief, stating that the mine president was arrested with special escort and handed over to judicial authorities in the presence of reporters and 'protesters' concerned about the mining incident. He also emphasized that the cause of the incident would be announced after expert investigations were completed. Meanwhile, according to IRNA, Hadi Hashemian, the head of the Golestan judiciary, labeled the arrest of the mine's CEO as a 'rumor' and urged media and social media users not to spread rumors. Reports indicate that 26 bodies of the victims of the Zemestan Yurt mine incident have been discovered so far. A member of parliament stated that the only 'complete insurance' for some of the mine workers was their death insurance, and many of these individuals are owed wages ranging from six months to a year. Alireza Ebrahimi, a representative from Azadshahr and Ramian in Golestan, expressed these remarks in an interview with Jam-e Jam Online. He stated, 'Some workers have between six months to a year of back wages and lack adequate health insurance support; only their death insurance seems to be complete.' Another report indicated that the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, who visited Golestan following the explosion at the Zemestan Yurt mine, stated that the workers' back wages would be paid. ILNA reported that these workers have several months of overdue wages and sometimes earn about 980,000 tomans for 16 hours of work per day. One miner told Fars news agency that 'each of these miners has between five to twelve months of overdue wages, their insurance is deposited late, and some are on the verge of retirement, but negligence regarding insurance has caused them difficulties.' Media in Iran reported the identification of 19 bodies of the Zemestan Yurt mine victims. According to ISNA, 22 bodies have been transferred to the forensic medicine office in Azadshahr, and burial permits have been issued. The head of the rescue and relief organization told ISNA that six to thirteen people remain trapped in the Zemestan Yurt coal mine, and 83 others were transferred to medical centers by emergency services and the Red Crescent. The head of the emergency medical center in Golestan province also reported that 20 of the injured have been discharged from the hospital, while treatment for the remaining injured continues. Alireza Kamal Gharibi stated that two of the injured are hospitalized in the ICU at Gonbad Kavous Hospital. The explosion occurred at the Zemestan Yurt mine at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, May 13. This mine is located in Azadshahr, Golestan province. Hassan Sadeghloo, the governor of Golestan, announced that the incident occurred at a depth of 1200 to 1300 meters underground. Following this deadly event, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, ordered that 'all sectors and institutions coordinate to use all available resources to expedite rescue efforts and save those trapped.' In contrast, Mohammad Dehghan, head of the campaign for presidential candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, tweeted, 'Help the oppressed workers of the coal mine. The four percent government is tired and absent during crises.' On the other hand, Jaafar Serqini, deputy for mining affairs at the Ministry of Industry, stated that the 'major share' of the Zemestan Yurt mine belongs to the Basij and that the mine does not belong to the government. According to Mr. Serqini, the 'major share' of this mine, about 20 percent, belongs to the 'Iranian Fund' affiliated with the Basij, about ten percent belongs to 'Takado,' affiliated with the 'Industries and Mines Revitalization Company,' and part of it belongs to the 'Negin Tabas' coal company. The deputy head of rescue and relief at the Golestan Red Crescent announced the discovery of 22 bodies of workers from the Zemestan Yurt mine and stated that the search for '13 more bodies' continues. The explosion at the Zemestan Yurt mine occurred at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, May 13. This mine is located in Azadshahr, Golestan province. He announced that nearly 50 percent of the mine's share also belongs to retired coal employees and ordinary people. According to Mr. Serqini, experts had assessed this mine as 'among the low-risk mines.' Ali Rabiei, Iran's Minister of Labor, stated on Wednesday night to the state news agency that the cause of the explosion and the entrapment of workers in this mine was their mistake in starting the coal transport locomotive 'using a battery-to-battery method.' In recent years, several miners in Iran have been killed or injured due to work-related accidents. For instance, in 2014, five people were killed in an explosion at the granite mine 'Qaleh Khargushi' in Ardakan, Yazd province. In March 2014, a gas explosion at the 'Cheshmeh Poodneh' coal mine in Kohbanan resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to six other miners.