QUETTA: Three Afghan coal miners died due to gas suffocation in a mine in the Duki area of district Loralai on Friday.

Levies official said the coal miners were digging coal around 1,000 feet deep in a mine in Duki when they suffocated to death due to a poisonous gas.

“All three miners died due to suffocation from a poisonous gas before any of the rescue teams could make their way inside,” he said, adding that the bodies were recovered. The cause of death, according to an official of the Mines Directorate, was an accumulation of Methane gas inside the mine.

The deceased miners were identified as Marjan Khan, Raz Muhammad and Zabool Khan. The bodies of the deceased will be sent to their native villages in Afghanistan.

Chief Inspector of Mines Iftikhar Ahmed ordered that the affected coal mine should be shut down immediately.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2016