The bodies of four miners were recovered on Friday during a rescue operation near a coal mine in Quetta after a dozen miners were trapped there following an explosion a day ago, rescuers said.
Deputy Rescue Director Asghar Ali Jamali said: “The bodies of four of the 12 miners have been recovered.”
Chief Inspector of Mines Abdul Ghani Baloch said other miners were still trapped inside the mine and that “a rescue operation was underway to evacuate them.”
The Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Mines Department were busy removing the debris using heavy machinery, he said.
The chief inspector further said that the mine passage was completely blocked due to the explosion, which had been partially restored after several hours of efforts.
“Power cables were cut inside the mine and were being re-strung to allow cart access for trapped miners,” he added.
He expressed that the miners’ chances of survival “are very low.”
According to Jamali, the miners were at a depth of about 4,200 feet, while two rescue personnel fainted due to gas during rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Federation of Labor president Lala Sultan said any further delay in rescuing the miners could pose a serious threat to their lives.
The explosion occurred in the Sanjdi coal mine, located about 40 kilometers southeast of Quetta, due to the accumulation of methane gas.
“We are trying to enter the mine through an alternative route and release the accumulated gas,” Baloch had previously said.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opposition leader Dr Ibadullah Khan issued a statement calling the incident a “very sad event” and said he and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur were working with the chief inspector of mines to solve the problem.
“I hope that all affected people will be recovered as soon as possible and handed over to their heirs,” said the opposition leader. “I pray that Allah grants peace to the families of all the victims and that this process is completed successfully.”
Coal mine accidents are common in Balochistan, where mine owners ignore safety procedures and miners are forced to work in dangerous conditions. Baloch said 82 miners died in 46 accidents last year.
In June last year, at least 11 people died after inhaling methane gas inside a coal mine in the Sanjdi area, about 50 kilometers from Quetta. Among the victims were nine coal miners, the director of a coal company and a contractor.
A 2023 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report noted that health and safety standards were rarely enforced in these mines “mainly due to sporadic and irregular mine inspections.”
Additional reporting by Umar Bacha.
