Quetta, Pakistan – A tragic incident unfolded in the Zardalo area of Balochistan’s Harnai district, claiming the lives of twelve miners and leaving six others rescued after an explosion in a coal mine. The explosion, caused by a methane gas leak, occurred on Wednesday according to officials.
Eighteen miners were initially trapped in the mine following the explosion, prompting a swift rescue operation. Despite efforts to save all those inside, only six miners were successfully pulled from the mine alive, while the remaining 12 tragically lost their lives in the incident. Those rescued were found unconscious, highlighting the perilous conditions they endured.
Abdul Ghani Baloch, the chief inspector of mines in Balochistan, explained that methane gas had accumulated overnight in the mine, ultimately leading to the devastating explosion. The government mining department and disaster management agency worked tirelessly to complete the rescue operation, recovering all 12 bodies which were then transported to the hospital for further procedures.
Confirming the unfortunate death toll, Abdullah Shahwani, the province’s director general of mining, disclosed that the mining accident occurred roughly 80 kilometers east of Quetta. He expressed concerns over the lack of safety measures and poor working conditions in unregulated mines throughout the mineral-rich Balochistan province, where fatalities among miners are not uncommon.
The incident serves as a sobering reminder of the risks faced by miners in Balochistan due to the absence of adequate safety regulations in their workplaces. The local authorities have vowed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the explosion, aiming to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Efforts to improve safety standards in the mining industry are crucial to safeguarding the lives of workers and preventing such heartbreaking incidents from reoccurring.