KOHAT: Nine miners were killed and three others injured on Wednesday when the roof of a coal mine collapsed following a gas explosion in Akhorwal village of Darra Adamkhel tehsil, officials said.

A local official, Azam Khan, told Dawn that the explosion occurred at 7am due to accumulation of gas in the Firdous mine while the labourers were working inside.

Rescue teams and other miners rushed to the spot and pulled out the victims under supervision of senior officials by 11am.

The deceased were identified as Umer Daraz, Farman Ali, Nazar Mohammad, Wazir Khan, Khalil Khan, Hazrat Ali, Umer Hussain, Qadeem Gul and Farman Shakir. Hassan Khan, Syed Rasool and Bakht Munir sustained injuries.

Funeral prayers for the dead miners were offered in Darra Adamkhel at 2pm. A large number of locals and administration officials attended the prayers. All the victims belonged to Swat’s Shangla, except one man who was injured.

The incident was the second of its kind in the country within a month. On Aug 13, at least 18 miners were killed after a blast tore through a coal mine in Sinjidi village near Quetta.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2018