A methane leak caused a coal mine blast in Tabas, Iran, state media said. An emergency official said the toll is likely to rise as rescuers struggle to reach victims.

Iran says it believes workers trapped in coal mine explosion have died, bringing death toll to at least 49.

Iran state TV says the death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran rose to 50 after one of the miners injured in the weekend blast died in hospital

Around 70 people had been working at the time of the blast. Bodies recovered so far showed no signs of blast injuries, suggesting many of the workers died from the gas before the blast.

The death toll of Saturday’s coal mine explosion in eastern Iran has risen to 49, with miners trapped in the mine now believed to be dead. The head of crisis management in South Khorasan province, Mohammad Ali Akhundi,

Tehran: Iranian authorities on Tuesday said that they believe the remaining workers trapped by an explosion at a coal mine in the country's east have died, bringing the death toll in one of its worst industrial disasters to at least 49.