Gas explosion in coal mine in Pakistan fears 12 trapped

Islamabad: At least 12 miners were trapped in Pakistan after an explosion caused a coal mine collapse in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

The mishap occurred in the Sanjdi area outside the capital city of Quetta.  Chief Mines Officer Abdul Ghani Baloch said that a gas explosion caused a coal mine in the Sanjdi area to collapse from the inside, the Dawn newspaper reported.

“Efforts are being made to pull all the miners out alive,” he said.

In an official statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said rescue teams had arrived at the site.

“There are reports of twelve workers being trapped in the mine,” Rind added.

Balochistan Minister for Mining and Minerals Mir Shoaib Noshirwani ordered Chief Mines Officer Baloch to send two more teams to participate in rescue operations.

“If prevailing mining procedures were violated, legal action should be taken against the mine owner,” Noshirwani warned, ordering rescuers to expedite efforts to extract the trapped miners.

“The strict implementation of safety measures in mines should be ensured to protect workers,” he added.

Accidents are common in coal mines of the country, mainly due to gas build-ups.

In June last year, at least 11 people were killed after inhaling methane gas inside a coal mine in the Sanjdi area.