Sanat Rahim, head of the State Supervision Service for Safe Work in Industry and Mining Oversight of Tajikistan, denied information about a tragedy in which, allegedly, 16 citizens of Afghanistan died at a coal mine in the Ayni region. This was reported by Ozodi, the Tajik service of Radio Free Europe.
At a press conference held on January 27 in Dushanbe, Rahim stated: "We consulted with the district prosecutor's office, the internal affairs department, and the management of the metallurgical plant to determine whether there was any confirmation of the deaths of Afghan citizens. Everyone responded that no such reports had been received and that these individuals do not work here."
The statement about the lack of confirmation regarding the deaths of Afghans was made against the backdrop of reports from Afghanistan International TV about two explosions at mines associated with the Tajik Metallurgical Plant that occurred in May and November of last year.
Sanat Rahim added: "We are in Tajikistan. Afghanistan can publish any information about itself. I am speaking about Tajikistan and its citizens. My task does not include protecting the rights of citizens of other countries."
According to Afghan media, illegal labor activity is one of the main reasons for the deaths of their citizens on the territory of Tajikistan. They claim that most of these individuals crossed the border illegally and did not have protection for their labor rights.
Despite the denial of information regarding the deaths of Afghans, Rahim confirmed that accidents at the plants associated with the metallurgical complex did indeed occur. "In particular, on July 30, 2025, during dinner in a mobile facility, a rock collapse occurred, resulting in the deaths of site master Gayurov Takbir, excavator operator Shamsiddinov Izzat, driller Mumunov Gufron, and drivers Akramov Bakhriddin and Bakhovuddinov Fathulloh," he reported.
In 2025, Tajikistan recorded 46 accidents at mines and plants, claiming the lives of 40 people, with another 27 injured. Eight accidents occurred at the construction site of the Rogun Hydroelectric Power Station. Among the deceased were seven foreign citizens, including five from China and two from Iran. However, information about the 16 Afghans is absent from this statistics, and it is impossible to verify it through independent sources.
