QUETTA: A miner died in Harnai’s Sharag area as a coal mine collapsed on Sunday, according to Levies Force.

The body of the miner was recovered from debris and shifted to hospital. The victim was identified as Umar Sadiq who belonged to Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On Saturday, another coal miner died after inhaling poisonous gas which had accumulated in a coal mine in the Mach area.

Coal mining is one of the biggest job providing sector in Balochistan, but miners have to work in dangerous conditions.

Frequent incidents of explosions caused by accumulation of poisonous gases in mines and collapse of mines often prove fatal for miners.

The situation is further worsened by lack of safety measures.

About 200 miners die and hundreds of others are injured in accidents in coal mines in Balochistan every year, according to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2019