Coal mine collapse and blast kills 8 in Iran

[December 19, 2012]  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's official news agency says a collapse and explosion in a coal mine has killed eight workers in the country's east.

IRNA on Wednesday quoted Ahmad Talebian Moqadam, who is governor of Tabas city near where the accident occurred, as saying that a tunnel in the mine collapsed, leading to an accumulation of gas and an explosion. He said five bodies were recovered on Tuesday, the day of the accident, and three more the next day.

Some 40 work at the mine. The report did not say whether the other miners were unaccounted for.

Tabas is located 560 kilometers (341 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran. Mine explosions are rare in Iran.

[Associated Press]

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