QUETTA: Four labourers were killed when a gas explosion struck a mine in the Sanjdi coalfield area, some 50km off here, on Sunday.

Rescue personnel rescued six others who were fainted and trapped inside the mine after the blast.

Official sources said that 10 labourers entered the mine of a local company early in the morning and started work. Methane gas had accumulated inside the mine which ignited and led to a huge explosion and subsequent collapse of a large portion of the mine.

Rescue workers and officials of the Mines Secretariat rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation. Rescue workers used an alternative way to reach the trapped workers.

They rescued six miners and recovered bodies of four others, said the chief inspector of mines.

The deceased were identified as Muhammad Ramzan, Yar Muhammad Khan, Badshah and Ghulam Muhammad. Three of them belonged to the Shangla area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the fourth was a resident of Mastung. Their bodies were sent to their native towns.

Last month, 23 coal miners were killed in two similar accidents that took place the same day with a gap of four hours in the Sur range and the Marwar area.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2018