Eight killed, six trapped in coal mine explosion in Pakistan

Karachi: A methane gas explosion in a coal mine in Pakistan's Balochistan province has killed eight miners while six others were still trapped, officials said on Monday.

At least 13 miners were trapped thousands of feet under the ground when the mine, situated in Sanjadi area, about 50 kilometres east of the provincial capital Quetta, collapsed following an explosion last evening.

Bodies of eight miners were retrieved from the mine, they said.

The Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had earlier said that bodies of six miners were recovered while efforts were on to rescue the trapped miners.

According to Deputy Commissioner Quetta, Capt (retd) Tahir Zafar Abbasi, at least 13 miners were trapped after the underground methane gas explosion.

"According to our estimates, at least 13 miners were trapped in a 4,000 feet deep pit inside the coal mine," Abbasi was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

Senior officials, including Balochistan's Chief Inspector of Mines, have also reached the accident site to monitor the rescue efforts, which has slowed down due to lack of electricity in the area, the report said.

"It's going to be difficult to get them (trapped miners) out as rescue work is being slowed down because there is no electricity in the area," a local engineer said.

Meanwhile, Balochistan's caretaker chief minister Alauddin Marri has expressed his sadness on the incident, and directed authorities to rescue the trapped miners.

According to media reports, it is the fourth mine accident in as many months in Baolchistan province. Four labourers had died on June 3 after they got trapped under the debris following a gas explosion in a mine in Sanjadi area. On May 6, at least 23 miners were killed when two coal mines collapsed near Quetta, GeoTV reported.

The first accident had occurred in Marwaarh, about 45 kilometres east of Quetta, due to a gas explosion. Later that day, another coal mine collapsed in Sooranj, in which seven miners were killed. Two miners were rescued in unconscious state, while bodies of two others were recovered later, the report said.