MIANWALI: Sargodha commissioner has ordered holding an inquiry into the tragic death of a miner allegedly when a portion of a salt mine caved in because of a hill torrent.

An operation is on to search for another miner who is feared dead in the incident.

The incident had occurred at Kukranwala near Kalabagh on Aug 17.

Following the incident, rescue teams from Mianwali rushed to the salt mine and started a rescue operation. A couple of days ago a rescue team retrieved body of one of the missing miners, Abdul Jabbar.

The operation is in progress to find the other.

Commissioner Zafar Iqbal Sheikh had paid a visit to the mine and expressed his concern over the working conditions there. He said the Punjab Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) was responsible for ensuring safety measure for miners.

He directed Mianwali Deputy Commissioner Dr Nasir Mehmood Bashir to process the case for payment of compensation to the families of the both miners.

He also ordered Isakhel Assistant Commissioner Rai Zulfikar Ali to monitor the operation till the recovery of the missing miner, who is feared dead.

He ordered a probe into the incident so that responsibility for the deaths could be fixed and culprits get punished.

During the visit of commissioner, people from surrounding area gathered there and held the mine contractors and the PMDC officials responsible for the tragic incident. They also complained about the miners’ working conditions and low wages.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2019