Two coal mines collapsed in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least 23 people and injuring six others while five miners remained trapped, officials said. Pakistani officials have said the collapse took place due to methane gas explosions.
Mine inspector Iftikhar Ahmed said Sunday that five more bodies have been recovered from one of the mines, bringing the death toll from the blast the day before to 16. Another seven people died in a separate blast on Saturday, which also wounded two people. Mr. Ahmed said rescue operations have been completed at both sites.
The mines are located near the southwestern city of Quetta, an area where such accidents are common because of poor enforcement of safety regulations. The explosions were not linked.
A mine in Marwar area near provincial capital Quetta collapsed on Saturday due to gas explosion and about two dozen miners were trapped inside.
Deputy Commissioner, Quetta, Farrukh Atique told PTI that 16 people have died in the collapse.
“We have recovered all the 16 bodies from the rubble caused by the collapse in the coal mine,” Mr. Atique said.
“We have also rescued six workers who are trapped in the rubble and have sent them to hospital for treatment but one miner is still trapped under the rubble” he said.
Rescue officials said a dozen of the dead miners belonged to Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The collapse apparently took place because of a gas explosion and the miners working at that time were trapped inside. Some died on the spot, while others who were badly injured breathed their last under the rubble,” Mr. Atique said.
Chief of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Muhammad Tariq also confirmed that 16 miners had been killed.
“So far 16 dead bodies and six injured miners have been recovered from the mine,” he said.
In the other incident, at least nine miners were trapped in a coal mine Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) in the Sur-range field near Quetta, an official said. Seven people died and two were wounded.
Fraught with danger
Mining is considered highly dangerous in Pakistan where dozens of miners are killed each year due to lack of modern mining facilities, training and equipment.
According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation (PCMLF), about 100 to 200 labourers die on average in coal mine accidents every year.
Last month, at least 11 miners were killed in two separate mining incidents in Darra Adam Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jhelum district of Punjab.
