13 More Bodies Found in Mine Blast

The bodies of the remaining 13 miners have been found during search and rescue operations at Zemestanyurt coal mine in the northern Golestan Province, which was hit by a large explosion caused by methane gas buildup last week.

“Rescue workers managed to reach the 13 bodies and are trying to bring them out,” said director general of the provincial Crisis Management Directorate, Sadeq-Ali Moqaddam on Monday.

Twenty-two bodies had been retrieved earlier. The number of the fatalities has now reached 35, local news outlets reported.

The explosion also left over 80 other workers injured. The official said search operations would continue to see if the blast has caused any more loss of human life.

President Hassan Rouhani visited the accident site on Sunday to assess the situation and meet with survivors and families of miners. He ordered the shutdown of all mines across the country that lacked safety standards with immediate effect.