Minister of Labor: 33 Miners Died in the Yurt Mine Explosion in Golestan Province

Ali Rabiei, Iran's Minister of Labor, stated that 33 miners died in the explosion at the Zemestan Yurt mine in Azadshahr. He also reported the recovery of the bodies of 21 miners. According to ILNA, Rabiei, while present at the site of the explosion, expressed his condolences, stating that unfortunately, all the trapped miners lost their lives. He announced the formation of a committee to investigate the incident. Previously, local officials in Golestan Province announced on Wednesday night that the bodies of 21 trapped miners had been recovered from the mine. Sadeghali Moghadam, the head of crisis management in Golestan, told the IRIB news agency that about 35 people were trapped in the explosion, and rescuers found the lifeless bodies of 21 individuals. Ramadan Bahrami, head of the Industry and Mine House in Golestan, confirmed this news in an interview with Tasnim news agency, reporting that 69 people were injured in the incident. Earlier, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of Iran mentioned that 35 individuals were trapped in the 'Zemestan Yurt' coal mine, located 700 meters deep, due to the explosion and collapse of the mine. On Wednesday evening, April 13, Rabiei told IRIB that the cause of the explosion and the entrapment of workers was their mistake in trying to start the coal transport locomotive using a battery-to-battery method. He stated, 'At a depth of 700 meters in this 1300-meter mine, the battery of the locomotive carrying coal runs out, and they mistakenly try to solve this problem incorrectly by connecting batteries, which unfortunately leads to an explosion of accumulated gas in the mine.' Rabiei had previously rejected conflicting reports about the potential casualties from this incident. He stated, 'Currently, we have no news of fatalities in this incident, and no one has seen any bodies, and we cannot make a judgment until we reach that point.' According to the Minister of Labor, 12 individuals who initially attempted to rescue the workers suffered respiratory injuries due to gas exposure, but their condition is now relatively stable after being hospitalized. Rabiei confirmed that 35 individuals were trapped, of which 26 were miners and 9 were contractors. He noted, 'Since this mine is horizontal, it is easier to work and advance in it,' and so far, '400 meters of progress has been made.' The Minister of Labor also expressed hope that the process of ventilating the toxic air from the mine would be completed in a few hours, allowing for the start of debris removal. The explosion at the Zemestan Yurt mine occurred at 11:30 AM on Wednesday. This mine is located in Azadshahr, Golestan Province.