In 2010, the San Jose mine in Chile collapsed. Thirty-three miners were trapped 700 meters underground and five kilometers from the main entrance. As in most mining accidents around the world, the employer’s failure to reinforce the mine’s ceiling was the main cause. Rescue teams arrived on site from the early hours. Alongside the miners’ families, many people from nearby towns and Chile’s then-president gathered to support and stand by the trapped miners and their families. After 44 days, the rescue team managed to send the first batch of food and medicine to the miners 700 meters below, helping them survive. Finally, after 69 days of continuous effort, on October 12, 2010, the miners were rescued.

Fourteen years after the San Jose mine incident, a gas leak and explosion at the Tabas mine created a disaster. Aside from the rescue workers and miners who voluntarily rushed to help their colleagues, no one else was present. Fifty-two miners lost their lives within hours, and at least 20 workers were injured. This disaster set a new record in terms of fatalities, marking the deadliest mining accident to date. September 2024 (Shahrivar 1403) ended with the grim statistic that in the six months leading up to October of that year, “20 mining accidents with at least 60 deaths occurred in Iran.” During the Tabas mine explosion, wagons meant to extract coal were instead used to carry the lifeless bodies of workers from the dark corridors of the mine. (1)

The explosion at the Tabas mine is neither the first nor the last mining accident. Given the vulnerability of miners and the systematic neglect by the government toward workers’ issues, mining accidents rarely make headlines or gain public attention. However, at times, the tragedies that occur in Iranian mines manage to capture the nation’s attention, alerting the public to the hardships faced by this hardworking class.

In April 2009 (Farvardin 1388), the sound of an explosion was heard at the “Bab Nezou” mine in Zarand. Smoke and fire emerging from the mine engulfed the area. Some said that 20 miners were trapped inside, while others were searching for rescuers and help. The result of this disaster was the removal of 12 bodies of workers and staff from the private company “Delta 1000” from deep within the mine, marking a complete tragedy. (2) To investigate this bitter event, a parliamentary inquiry committee began its work, and after ten months, the findings were released. A section of the report stated: “The safety of the workers was at a minimum, and with the slightest malfunction in the elevator system, the risk of them falling to the bottom of the shaft was extremely high.” It is worth noting that this same mine had witnessed two explosions in 2005 (1384), claiming the lives of 14 workers. The committee also pointed out deficiencies such as: “extremely harsh working conditions, outdated equipment, difficulty breathing in the depths of the tunnels, and non-standard ventilation systems.” (3)

In December 2010 (Azar 1389), another incident occurred at the “Eskeli Hejdak” mine in Kerman. This time, the negligence of employers claimed the lives of five workers. It was revealed that: “All of them died due to the collapse of hundreds of tons of soil and extreme heat inside the mine.” (2) This same mine experienced another accident on September 13, 2021 (22 Shahrivar 1400), killing one miner. According to his colleagues: “During the incident, he fell from a height into a wagon, and a large volume of soil buried him inside the wagon.” (4) In March 2011 (Esfand 1389), another accident occurred in a Kerman province mine, resulting in the deaths of four miners. While the bodies of three workers were recovered on April 8, 2011 (19 Farvardin 1390), no further information about the fourth miner was released. (5)

In 2012 (1391), the Tabas mine itself witnessed another tragedy. In December of that year, a methane gas accumulation and explosion at the northern coal seam mine, located 25 kilometers from Tabas, killed eight miners. The workers had repeatedly warned that the mine lacked ventilation and that gas wasn’t being extracted, but no one listened. What happened was a mixture of methane gas with oxygen, a small spark, and a big explosion that shook the ground and claimed the lives of eight people. (2) Ultimately, the safety officer of the mine was blamed, as “the mine’s safety officer, according to legal procedure, was supposed to measure the gas levels before the work shift and, if the methane levels were below standard, issue the workers’ entry permit.” (6)

In February 2021 (Bahon 1399), a worker at the “Manganese Vanarj” mine in Qom lost his life. The worker was killed around noon while “moving mining stones with a specialized loader inside the tunnel, causing the tunnel to collapse.” (7) This incident occurred in a mine that had been operational since 1962 (1341) and is regarded as one of the largest manganese producers in the region and the Middle East.

Before the Tabas mine disaster of 2024 (1403), which set the record for fatalities, the deadliest mining accident in Iran had occurred at the Yurt Winter coal mine in Azadshahr. That accident, caused by an explosion on the morning of a day in May 2017 (Ordibehesht 1396), resulted in the deaths of 43 workers and the injury of over 100 miners. The situation was such that miners were trapped 1,300 meters underground, in an area filled with carbon monoxide and methane gases, while rescuers could only reach a depth of 800 meters. Even then, these rescuers were themselves exposed to gas poisoning and were injured. The bitter part of the story is that on May 9, 2017 (19 Ordibehesht 1396), the head of the Crisis Management Organization in Golestan Province announced that the body of the last miner had been recovered. However, he also mentioned that: “According to the miners, this was the last worker present in the tunnel, but due to the lack of an accurate count of miners, rescue operations and debris removal in the tunnel are ongoing.” (8) This statement implied that even the number of 43 fatalities might not be final and that bodies could remain forever lost deep underground. It also meant that the number of miners working in the country’s mines was not precisely known. This situation suggests that the official count of miners pulled from the debris may not represent the final tally of those killed, as some workers may not have been registered or may remain forever missing.

The fundamental issue in this field, as in many other areas of the country, is the incompetence, lack of expertise, and mismanagement of decision-makers. The core problem arises from the fact that human lives hold no value for the country’s ruling system. This system must acknowledge that at all three levels—executive, supervisory, and policy-making—it bears direct responsibility for such unnatural deaths and workplace disasters. This system must accept that “preventive measures, the modernization of mining equipment, and the implementation and supervision of general occupational safety and health standards” are essential. (9) However, it seems that the ruling system in Iran has completely forgotten its responsibility. Every time, officials express concern, offer condolences, and shed tears, only to forget until the next disaster strikes. Each time, several workers die, and it seems that no one cares. It is so unimportant that just days after the accident, the Tabas mine resumed operations, with no one holding the contractor or the mine’s officials accountable.

Mohammad Behamdi, an injured worker at the Tabas mine, reported on October 16, 2024 (25 Mehr 1403), that the Tabas mine had resumed operations and that workers were back on the job. Despite some workers still being bedridden, the mine continued to operate under the same conditions. No one is holding the contractor or the mine officials accountable. (10)

Unfortunately, the situation is clear. Accidents regularly occur in Iran’s mines, with at least two of these incidents outstripping similar tragedies worldwide in terms of fatalities. Yet the government remains indifferent. In the end, officials visit the families of the deceased, offer condolences, shed a few tears, and that’s it. No one is thinking about resolving the situation. The pursuit of profit is so ruthless that even a mine with the highest death toll is reopened without any changes or problem-solving, so that government-affiliated capitalists can ensure their profits are not diminished. In this, human lives mean nothing to Iran’s rulers, mining contractors, and government and ministry officials. The regime that was supposed to support the impoverished and the oppressed has now become an agent of their destruction. If we assume that in the beginning, it offered a remedy, today it has become a poison, and its harm far outweighs its benefits—far more.

Footnotes:
1 – Gholizadeh, Mahtab, Tabas Mine Disaster; Who Manages Iran’s Mines?, BBC Persian, September 26, 2024 (5 Mehr 1403).
2 – Review of Deadly Mining Accidents in Iran, Al-Alam Network, September 22, 2024 (1 Mehr 1403).
3 – Parliament’s Report on Bab Nezou Mine Explosion Published, Radio Farda, January 21, 2011 (1 Bahman 1389).
4 – Details of Hejdak Mine Accident/ Half-hour Effort to Retrieve Deceased Miner’s Body, Tasnim News Agency, September 13, 2021 (22 Shahrivar 1400).
5 – From Torn Shoes to Equipment Shortages; Workers’ Bodies in Coal Wagons, Javad Motavalli, IranWire, September 22, 2024 (1 Mehr 1403).
6 – Cause of Tabas Coal Mine Explosion Announced, ISNA News Agency, January 1, 2013 (11 Dey 1391).
7 – Details of Deadly Accident at Vanarj Manganese Mine in Qom, Imna News Agency, February 19, 2021 (30 Bahman 1399).
8 – Last Miner’s Body Found at Azadshahr Mine/ Death Toll Rises to 43, Tasnim News Agency, May 9, 2017 (19 Ordibehesht 1396).
9 – Mohaghegh Damad, Seyyed Mostafa, and Darvishzadeh, Mohammad, What is the Governance System Doing in the Tabas Mine Disaster?, Ettelaat Newspaper, October 8, 2024 (16 Mehr 1403).
10 – Tabas Mine Has Reopened and Is Operating Under the Same Conditions, Tejarat News, October 16, 2024 (25 Mehr 1403).