Rescuers yesterday battled hazardous conditions at a coal mine in northern Iran where 21 miners died in a failed attempt to save colleagues trapped deep underground after an explosion.
Hopes of finding 14 missing miners alive were fading after the blast on Wednesday at the mine in Azadshahr in Golestan Province, where three days of mourning were declared.
The rescue operation at the Zemestan Yort mine was hampered by poisonous gases that filled the tunnels, as well as by fears of a further collapse.
Photo: AFP
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered condolences for the “very bitter” tragedy.
“Efforts by various organizations will be rewarded [by God]. They [should] increase their efforts as much as possible,” Khamenei said in a message.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also expressed sorrow for victims of the disaster, which has overshadowed his re-election campaign.
“The hope of finding the remaining 14 miners still alive is now minimal,” Sadegh-Ali Moghadam, emergencies director in Golestan, was quoted as saying by the state-run Iranian Republic News Agency (IRNA).
He said the bodies of the 21 miners were found at a depth of 600m and rescue teams have descended 1.4km into the tunnel where the blast happened.
“The problem is the upper arch, which has been weakened by the explosion. Miners are working to secure the tunnel” to be able to move forward, he said.
The tunnel caved in after methane gas exploded underground as workers tried to jump-start a locomotive engine, initial reports said.
Rouhani ordered authorities “to use all equipment available to facilitate the rescue services and save those trapped.”
“The painful incident involving a number of hard-working miners in the Azadshahr mine brought sorrow and mourning to all Iranian people,” he said.
About 30 miners were treated in hospitals for gas poisoning and injuries, IRNA reported.
There was no information on the condition of those trapped.
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
SELF-DETERMINATION: German lawmakers add earth to an art installation in front of the Reichstag to show that the face of a nation lies with its people, Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan’s future should be decided by Taiwanese, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Till Steffen said yesterday, while giving former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a tour of the German parliament building. Tsai arrived in Berlin on Sunday and the following day delivered a keynote speech at the Berlin Freedom Conference titled “Threats facing democracies: Taiwan’s experience defending freedom.” Tsai yesterday attended a tea gathering at the Bundestag, joined by former friendship group chairman of 15 years Klaus-Peter Willsch, German defense affairs specialist Roderich Kiesewetter and Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Brand. Noting that the
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
RSS