Gas leakage in a glisonite mine in Shak Meidan region, 30 kilometers southwest of Gilan Gharb in western Kermanshah Province, caused an explosion, IRNA cited provincial governor Faramarz Akbari as saying. There was no immediate report of casualties. Around 66,000 metric tons of natural bitumen is extracted annually from the 35 active mines in the region, which constitute 75% of Iran’s total bitumen reserves.
