Discovery of the 43rd Body in Yurt Mine, 'Possibility of Finding' Another Body

While the spokesperson for the crisis committee of Golestan province reports the discovery of the 43rd deceased worker in the Yurt mine incident, the deputy of crisis management in Golestan province announced the possibility of another body being trapped under the rubble. According to the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, the spokesperson, whose name was not mentioned, said on Tuesday, May 8, 'It seems that this body is the last possible one from the incident; however, operations will continue until the complete removal of the rubble.' Meanwhile, Hamidreza Montazeri, the deputy of crisis management in Golestan province, told ILNA that 'In addition to the 7 bodies found at midnight and one body found around noon, evidence suggests that there may still be a body trapped under the rubble.' The explosion at the 'Zemestan Yurt' coal mine, located near Azadshahr, occurred last Wednesday, May 2, and government officials say investigations into the causes of the incident are ongoing. Ali Rabiei, Iran's Minister of Labor, attributed the cause of the explosion and the entrapment of workers in the mine to 'their mistake in starting the coal transport locomotive using a battery-to-battery method.' This mine is located about 90 kilometers from the city of Gorgan and has employed an average of about 500 workers. Earlier, the Minister of Labor had stated that 35 individuals were trapped in the 'Zemestan Yurt' coal mine at a depth of 700 meters due to the explosion and mine collapse. Ramadan Bahrami, head of the Industry and Mine House of Golestan province, also confirmed this news in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, reporting that 69 people were injured in the incident. On Tuesday, the head of the Golestan judiciary strongly denied reports of the arrest of protesting miners from the Zemestan Yurt mine that had circulated in some news channels. According to ISNA, quoting the Golestan judiciary, Hadi Hashemian emphasized that 'the rumor of the arrest of protesters against the President and its dissemination in cyberspace is false,' threatening that 'those who spread false news should expect legal action from the provincial judiciary.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, faced protests from miners during his visit to Azadshahr in Golestan province on Sunday, with some protesters attacking his vehicle.