A handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent (RCS) shows security forces gathered at the scene of a blast at a coal mine in Tabas in Iran’s Khorasan province on September 22. AFP A gas leak at the Tabas coal mine in eastern Iran has resulted in one of the country’s deadliest work accidents in years, killing at least 51 people, state media reported on Sunday. The explosion, which occurred around 9 PM on Saturday, also injured 20 others1. The blast happened when approximately 70 workers were present at the site in South Khorasan province. According to reports, a methane gas leak led to the explosion in two blocks of the mine, owned by the private Iranian firm Madanjoo1. State TV broadcast footage of ambulances and helicopters arriving at the scene to transport the injured to hospitals. Online footage showed bodies of some victims being carried out on mining carts1. South Khorasan governor Javad Ghenaat stated that rescue teams were working to recover the remaining bodies. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian offered his condolences to the victims’ families and ordered an investigation into the incident before departing for the UN General Assembly in New York1. Iran’s Red Crescent reported that search and rescue operations were ongoing, with some workers trapped about 250 meters below the surface, cut off by chambers filled with concentrated methane gas. Local prosecutor Ali Nesaei mentioned that gas accumulation was complicating rescue efforts