President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) has issued a message, extending condolences over the deaths caused by a mine explosion in northeastern Iran.
In his message issued on Monday, Samad Hassanzadeh sympathized with the families of the victims and condoled with all the Iranian nation over the sad incident.
A Saturday night explosion in Madanjou coal mine killed at least 38 workers, marking one of the worst mining disasters in the country’s history as others remained missing hours after the blast. Authorities blamed the explosion on a leak of methane gas.
The president of Iran Chamber of Commerce said he was saddened by the tragic blast. He prayed for the souls of the victims to rest in peace and wished speedy recovery for the injured minors.
He stressed that Iran’s mining and industry community demand the authorities to carry out a thorough probe into the issue.
A day earlier, Mohammadreza Bahraman, the vice-president of Iran Chamber of Commerce who also chairs Iran’s Mine House, said that since 2017, he and his colleagues at the Mine House had warned about the improper safety conditions of the coal mines.
Noting that the safety of Iranian coal mine workers is currently at its worst, Bahraman said that the mines are operating with the least efficiency which causes a waste of time and energy of the expert workforce.
He added that the negligence of safety considerations could lead to similar mining incidents in the future.
The Iran Chamber of Commerce vice president also referred to the impact of anti-Iran sanctions which are hindering investments in the equipping the Iranian mines with modern technologies.