THATTA: Two miners were killed in a coal mine which caved in accidentally on Monday at the mining zone of Yaqoob Brohi village near Jhimpir, locals and officials said.

They said that around two dozen workers were busy digging coal when a wall of the mine collapsed and the miners got trapped inside.

The manager of the Lucky coal mine, Nazar Jakhro, told Dawn that two miners — Khamoon Khaskheli and Khamiso Khaskheli — died on the spot.

However, the others managed to come out of the mine. Two more workers — Bahadur Jakhro and Manzoor Khaskheli — suffered serious injuries when the trapped workers ran for safety. They were dragged out of the mine in a critical condition and were rushed to a Hyderabad hospital, he added.

The bodies were brought to the Civil Hospital Makli and later handed over to the families after completing required formalities.

No case was registered regarding the incident till late in the night.

Meanwhile, villagers said there was no medical or any other facility at the mining zone to tackle such disasters. The only rural health centre in the area was non-functional and there was no ambulance, they added.

They said the coal mine was about 120 feet deep.

They alleged that the contractors left the mines open after digging coal deposits despite the fact that they were bound to fill the mines with mud.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2014