A coal mine explosion that struck northern Iran killed at least 35 people, semi-official news agencies reported Thursday, as rescuers worked a second day to reach those trapped inside after the blast. The province will observe three days of mourning after the explosion, Iranian state television reported. Iran annually consumes some 2.5 tons of coal but only extracts about 1 million tons from its mines per year. This is not the first disaster to strike Iran's mining industry. Since Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, the country has begun an effort to renovate some of its coal mines.

Source: Egypt Independent May 04, 2017 06:33 UTC