DADU: Official and private rescuers have failed to reach three miners, two of them brothers, who were buried under the rubble of a coal mine in Jamshoro eight days ago.

The brothers, Khalil Pathan and Hameed Pathan, along with a co-worker, Samiul Haq, were among five miners who had come under the rubble of the mine, at Lakhara, that had caved in on Sept 7. Two workers somehow managed to come out but three others remained trapped inside.

The rescue work had been started immediately after the incident by a team of their employers — the Sindh Lakhra Coal Company — along with other miners. Later, the search was joined by residents of nearby localities and relatives of the victims. The missing miners hail from Swat.

Ironically, officials of the mines and mineral development department visited the site only on Wednesday, seven days after the incident. The officials, director general of coal mines Mushtaq Ahmad Soomro and chief inspector Qamaruddin Soomro, received a briefing about the incident and the rescue work while they supervised the excavation going on to reach the missing workers.

Protest over employers’ apathy, officials’ indifference leaves one worker dead

Qamaruddin Soomro told the media that iron sheets were being fixed on the ceiling of the intact portion of the mine to ensure a safe passage for rescuers.

Mushtaq Soomro doubted that the missing workers might have survive in the incident for so many days now. He, however, asked rescuers to continue their work.

Protest leads to worker’s death

On Sunday, three days after the incident, enraged miners and their relatives had staged a violent protest against apathy on the part of the mining company and the officials concern over the tragic happening. The protesters set the company’s machinery and equipment, present at the site, on fire. One worker, Raees Pathan, a resident of Swat, had sustained severe burns in the fire and later died during treatment at the Hyderabad Civil Hospital, according to co-workers.

It is pertinent to mention here that Mushtaq Soomro had earlier instituted an inquiry into the collapse of the mine and observance of safety rules at all such sites in Lakhra. He had formed a five-member committee, headed by chief inspector Qamaruddin Soomro. The committee has since submitted its report to Mushtaq Soomro, the director general of coal mines development.

In the light of the report, notices to more than 300 mining companies operating in Lakhra have been issued with regard to lack of workers’safety arrangements at their sites.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023