PESHAWAR: At least six labourers were killed and six others injured due to a blast caused by gas accumulation inside a coalmine in Lower Orakzai Agency on Thursday.

Government sources confirmed that the blast occurred in Doli area of Lower Orakzai Agency and left six labourers dead.

The funeral of the deceased labourers was held at agency headquarters and their bodies were shifted to Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

There are more than 4,000 coalmines in Orakzai tribal agency. Over 3,000 labourers work in these mines. Most of the coalmines in Orakzai are notorious for poor safety standards and facilities.

Most of the labourers are forced to risk their lives by using conventional methods due to unavailability of modern coal mining facility in the region.