Death toll from Iran's coal mine blast rises to 49

Tehran: The death toll from a blast at a coal mine in the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan has risen to 49.

The figure was confirmed after Mohammad-Ali Akhoundi, director general of the provincial crisis management headquarters, said that all individuals still trapped inside the mine, located in Tabas County, are presumed dead.

He added that debris removal operations had been expedited and were expected to conclude within a few hours, allowing for the recovery of the bodies, reports Xinhua, quoting the official news agency IRNA on Tuesday.

The explosion occurred on Saturday night due to a sudden rise in methane gas in one of the mine's tunnels, about 540 km southeast of Tehran.

On Tuesday morning, authorities initially reported a death toll of 38, with 11 individuals still trapped.

According to local media reports, 16 people were injured in the incident, nine of whom have been hospitalised.