THATTA: Four miners died and one survived miraculously when a coal mine caved in on them in Jhimpir area late on Tuesday night.

Jhimpir SHO Ikhtiyar Hussain Panhwar said that the labourers were completely trapped after water seeped into the mine and caused it to collapse. They could not run for their lives, he said.

He said that police with the help of a rescue team managed to retrieve two bodies while efforts were under way to pull out the remaining ones. One of the labourers was found miraculously alive when he was taken out from under the rubble, he said.

Accidents frequently take place in coal mines in Jhumpir but it appears they fail to jolt the authorities concerned into action. No efforts have so far been taken to prevent and preempt such tragedies and save poor miners’ lives.

In a similar incident, eight miners had lost their lives in July last year after which Thatta deputy commissioner had imposed ban on coal mines but he lifted it afterwards.

Locals said a bit cynically that since the mines had been leased out to influential persons of the area no action would ever be taken against them.

The DC said despite repeated directions no precautionary measures were taken either by labourers or the lease holders of the mines, eventually leading to tragic incidents.

The bodies were moved to Jhimpir basic health unit where identity of the deceased was yet to be ascertained. As many as 30 labourers have lost their lives in such accidents.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2023