TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Rescuers on Monday recovered the bodies of more workers killed in an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, bringing the death toll in the disaster to at least 38, officials said. Another 14 miners are still believed to be trapped below ground.

Rescuers on Monday (Sep. 23) recovered the bodies of more workers killed in an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, bringing the death toll in the disaster to at least 38, officials said. Another 14 miners are still believed to be trapped below ground.

An explosion caused by a gas leak at a coal mine in eastern Iran has killed at least 51 people, state media said on Sunday. More than 20 others were injured after the blast in South Khorasan province. It is reported to have been caused by a methane gas explosion in two blocks of the mine in Tabas, 540 km (335 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran.

Iran is rich in natural resources, but its mining sector has been hindered in recent years by a lack of foreign investment.

The death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran rose to 50 on Wednesday after one of the miners who was injured in the weekend blast died in hospital, Iranian state television reported.

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

At least 51 workers died and 20 others were injured in a coal mine explosion in eastern Iran, state media said on Sunday.

By bne Tehran bureau A methane gas explosion in a coal mine in Tabas County of Iran's South Khorasan Province on the evening of September 21 resulted in 52 deaths and 17 injuries, according to local officials.