The death toll from last week’s explosion in a coal mine in northern Iran has risen to 42. An official in the Golestan provincial government, Reza Morovati, said more bodies had been recovered from the Zemestan-Yurt mine, near Azadshahr.
He said efforts to remove rubble and search for other bodies are continuing. The blast occurred when methane gas that had accumulated inside a tunnel was ignited, causing it to collapse.
Meanwhile, President Hassan Rouhani faced a protest from angry miners and the families of victims when he visited the site on Sunday.
The protest took place less than two weeks before an election in which Mr Rouhani is contesting for a second term.
