QUETTA: At least 12 coal miners were trapped inside a mine after an explosion caused by methane gas in the Sanjdi coal field area, about 40 kilometers southeast of Quetta.
Coal mine accidents are common in Balochistan, where mine owners ignore safety procedures and miners are forced to work in dangerous conditions.
Authorities said the explosion took place Thursday night as a dozen miners were digging coal deep in the mine.
Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mines Abdul Ghani Baloch said teams were on site to rescue miners trapped about 4,000 feet deep inside the mine.
Mina collapses after explosion; The workers were digging at a depth of 4,000 feet.
“We have sent three teams consisting of mining engineers and other rescue personnel,” Baloch said, adding that rescuers were removing debris to enter the mine.
He added that the mine completely collapsed after the explosion, which was caused by the accumulation of methane gas.
The presence of methane gas inside the mine was hampering rescue efforts. “We are trying to enter the mine through an alternative route and release the accumulated gas,” said the chief mine inspector. Sunrise.
Shahid Rind, spokesman for the Balochistan government, said rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene following the incident.
Provincial Minister of Mineral Resources and Finance Mir Shoaib Nosherwani took note of the incident and ordered the chief inspector of mines to send additional rescue teams to the accident site.
He also ordered an investigation into the alleged violation of standard operating procedures by the mine owner.
Nosherwani emphasized that no mine owner should be considered above the law and that if violations of mining regulations were discovered, strict legal action would be taken against the mine owner.
The minister also directed the Department of Mines to ensure that safety measures are in place to prevent such accidents in the future and to provide modern safety facilities inside the mines.
He stated that the government will take all possible measures to protect workers and their rights.
Successive governments have made similar proclamations following similar accidents in the past, but the regulatory mechanism to prevent miner deaths has not yet been strengthened.
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.”
Published in Amanecer, January 10, 2025.
