Explosion at coal mine kills 34 in southern Pakistan
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
QUETTA, Pakistan: A blast at a coal mine killed at least 34 workers in southern Pakistan, the provincial disaster agency said on Friday (Jul 31), as rescuers searched for more missing miners.
The explosion, suspected to be caused by methane gas, tore through the mine near the capital of the resource-rich province of Balochistan on Thursday, sparking a rescue operation that ran through the night.
"According to information received from the deployed teams, 34 ... bodies have been recovered," southern Balochistan's provincial disaster management authority said in a statement in the early hours of Friday.
"The joint rescue operation is still underway to locate and recover the remaining trapped miners," it added, without specifying how many were in the mine when the explosion took place.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Witnesses said that after hearing the blast, an unknown number of miners in the area rushed to try to reach workers inside.
"Other miners descended into the mine after the explosion for a rescue operation, but they also died," Ahmed Zada, a mine worker at the site, told AFP.
SAFETY CONCERNS
Relatives, rescuers, and miners gathered at the mine entrance in Sorange, around 50km from the provincial capital Quetta, as the rescue operations were carried out.
Rescuers and workers, some wearing hard hats but most in everyday attire, helped carry bodies out of the concrete tunnel, some covered in black soot.
They ferried them on stretchers to waiting vehicles and ambulances near the entrance to the mine.
Mining accidents are common in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, and labour rights movements have previously called for ramped-up safety standards and enforcement for the sector.
Pakistan's poorest province and largest by landmass, Balochistan lags behind the rest of the country in almost every index, including education, employment and economic development, but is rich in resources including coal - as well as more lucrative gold and copper reserves.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app