At least 70 coal miners were trapped after an explosion in northern Iran yesterday, Iranian media said.
Iranian state news agency IRNA said 21 bodies were found after nightfall. Rabii's report of a death toll of at least 33 miners were carried by multiple news agencies.
The blast occurred at 12:45 p.m. local time (0745 GMT) in the Zemestanyurt coal mine in Golestan. Noting that the exploded mine consisted of two sections, he added that 40 miners were trapped at one section of the coal mine, while 30-40 others were trapped at another section.
Three days of mourning will be observed, reported Iranian state television.
The mine employs 500 workers and the explosion happened during a change of shift, state media said.
Ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the site, near Azadshahr city.
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There was confusion about how many miners had been trapped inside.
Authorities were planning to dig a side tunnel to access the stranded workers in the mine near Azadshahr, one official there said.
Press TV posted several photos of people gathered at what appeared to be a mine entrance, and emergency workers caring for those injured.
Iran's labor minister, Ali Rabiei, was traveling to the mine, which is located about 200 miles northeast of Tehran, in a province that lies along the Caspian Sea and the border with Turkmenistan.
Iran is rich in many minerals, and annually consumes approximately 2.5 tons of coal. The rest is imported, often consumed in the country's steel mills.
The incident comes after 11 workers were killed in 2013 in two separate mining disasters. Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas often are blamed for the fatalities.
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