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26 September, 2024One of the worst industrial accidents in Iran killed 50 mine workers and injured 16 more as methane gas exploded in a coal mine in Tabas, eastern Iran, on 22 September. The day before the explosion, workers informed management about the smell of methane gas in the tunnels, but they were still made to go to work.
66 miners were working 600 metres down in the coal mine when the explosion due to a gas leak happened. The accident follows on at least four accidents in Iran’s coal mines this year, all due to a lack of adequate safety standards.
The miners toil at great depth with outdated equipment and little to no safety measures in place, earning wages that are four times below the poverty line. According to the Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI) spokesperson Maziyar Gilaninejad, the lack of regular safety inspections by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Labor and sub-standard equipment caused the massacre. The mine in Tabas lacked jet fans for ventilation and removal of methane gas, as well enough methane gas sensors.
Mining accidents killing workers is unfortunately not uncommon in Iran. Last year, six workers were killed at an explosion in a coal mine in Damghan. Two years earlier at the same site, two workers died in a collapse. In 2017, 43 miners were killed in a blast in a mine in Azad Shahr.
Says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan:
“IndustriALL vehemently condemns this massacre and expresses its condolences and solidarity with the mineworkers and their families in Iran. With the regular deadly accidents in Iran’s mines, it is clear that there is a systemic problem and a lack of political will to rectify it. We urge the Iranian regime to take the responsibility to secure the lives of mineworkers and follow through with serious labour inspections. Miners health and safety cannot be left to the discretion of employers."
Photo: 2024 Tabas coal mine explosion, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0