QUETTA: At least six workers were suffocated by poisonous gas in a coal mine in the Sikandarabad area of Kalat district late on Wednesday night.

Levies officials said a group of workers was digging deep in the mine when poisonous gas accumulated there and they fainted. People outside the mine tried to rescue them but without success.

Rescue teams and Levies personnel reached the area after receiving information about the workers trapped inside the mine and launched a rescue operation.

“The rescuers found six coal miners dead inside the mine,” a senior Levies official posted in the Surab area told Dawn by telephone.

He said the bodies were shifted to district hospital Surab.

“They died after inhaling methane gas,” Levies officials said, quoting the hospital sources.

The deceased were identified Abdul Sattar, Pir Jan, Shabbir Ahmed, Jan Sher, Muhammad Rizwan and Muhammad Azam.

Further investigation was in progress.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2018