Officials in Pakistan confirmed that twelve miners lost their lives while eight others were rescued following an explosion in a coal mine located in the Zardalo area of Balochistan’s Harnai district.
Initially, reports indicated that 18 miners were trapped when a significant portion of the mine collapsed due to a powerful explosion.
Rescue teams swiftly launched an operation to save the trapped miners. Balochistan’s chief inspector of mines, Abdul Ghani Baloch, stated on Wednesday morning that the rescue operation had been successfully completed.
He stated that there were 20 miners inside the mine when a methane gas explosion occurred overnight.
Additionally, he mentioned that rescue teams had recovered 12 bodies, while the survivors had been transported to the hospital for treatment.
“Two bodies were recovered during the night, with the remaining 10 retrieved early in the morning,” Abdul Ghani Baloch, chief inspector of mines for Balochistan, informed AFP.
Abdullah Shahwani, the province’s director general of mining, also corroborated the death toll.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement expressing “profound sorrow and grief” over the loss of precious lives.”
Radio Pakistan reported that the premier directed all possible medical treatment to be provided to the injured miners.
Describing such incidents as “very painful and sad,” he assured that the government would offer all possible relief to the injured and affected families.
Coal deposits are abundant in the western regions of Pakistan, particularly near the Afghan border, where mine accidents are frequent, primarily due to gas build-ups.
Labour union officials have highlighted that mine workers often lack adequate safety gear, and poor working conditions contribute significantly to these accidents.
In a tragic incident in December, two coal miners lost their lives, and three others were injured in a fire that erupted in a private mine located in Balochistan’s Duki coal field.
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