13 people have died in a blast in a coal mine in Quetta

Photo: Reuters

An explosion in a coal mine in Quetta killed at least eight coal miners, an official said on Monday. Five other miners who came to aid in the rescue work have also died. 

The bodies of the dead were recovered on Monday morning, with efforts being made to retrieve the five other men who have been trapped in the mine and are feared dead.

A section of the mine in Quetta’s Sanjidi area collapsed due to the explosion. Thirteen workers were reported to have been trapped in the mine since Sunday evening.

“The explosion was caused by the accumulation of methane gas,” Iftikhar Ahmed, the chief inspector of mines in Balochistan told SAMAA TV. “The miners are trapped at a depth of around 650 feet.”

The five other miners who came to aid in the rescue efforts died while trying to help the trapped miners when they suffocated because of the gas. The miners from a nearby mine came to help rescue their trapped colleagues. Three of their bodies have been retrieved so far.

Taking notice of the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Alauddin Marri has asked the authorities to speed up the rescue work and use every available resource for the safe recovery of the miners.

Seven of the workers whose bodies were retrieved from the mine were from Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and their bodies have been sent to their hometowns. Rescue work at the mine has been stopped because of the presence of gas.

Workers’ unions say that there are very few safety precautions taken at mines in Balochistan.