QUETTA: Five coal miners died and three others suffered injuries in a methane gas explosion inside a coal mine in Zarghoon Gar area of Quetta district on Saturday.

Officials of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that methane gas accumulated inside the mine and it caused the explosion at a time when eight miners were busy in digging coal some 300 feet inside the mine.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, officials concerned along with rescue teams rushed to the area and launched a rescue operation.

PDMA Director General Naseer Ahmed Nasar said that the mouth of the mine was closed after the explosion, leaving all the miners trapped inside the mine. The rescuers removed debris and boulders and entered the mine in search of the miners. They took out all the eight miners from the mine after hectic efforts, but by that time four miners had died. The four injured miners were rushed to the trauma centre of the Quetta’s Civil Hospital, but one of them also died before reaching there, he added.

The chief mine inspector of the area, Abdul Ghani, while confirming the mine incident said that the lease of the affected mine was not given to anyone and that some people were doing illegal mining in it. He said no owner contractor was present at the mine site.

He said the mine was being thoroughly checked to ensure that no one was left inside it. The mine has been closed and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2022