QUETTA: A miner was killed in the Duki coal field area due to a mudslide inside a mine on Saturday, while officials confirmed that eight coal miners trapped 4,000 feet deep inside a collapsed mine in the Sanjdi area of Quetta have lost their lives.

The eight miners were among 12 who had been buried under tonnes of debris following a methane gas explosion on Thursday. Despite continuous rescue efforts over the past 60 hours, teams managed to recover only four bodies from around 3,500 feet below the surface.

“Unfortunately, it is now confirmed that the remaining eight coal miners have perished under the weight of thousands of tonnes of debris,” Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mines Abdul Ghani Baloch told Dawn, adding that efforts to recover the bodies were still underway.

In Saturday’s incident, the miner killed in the Duki coal field area due to a mudslide inside a mine was identified as Muhammad Ramzan, a resident of Qila Saifullah. He was retrieved by fellow miners and shifted to the district hospital.

Balochistan Mines Department orders legal action against owner

Legal action against mine owners

The Mines and Minerals Department has decided to take legal action against the owner of the collapsed coal mine in Sanjdi over not taking precautionary measures for the safety of the coal mine.

In a letter, Mr Baloch has asked the district administration to take legal action against the mine owner and file an FIR to bring those responsible to justice.

Balochistan Minister for Mines and Minerals Shoaib Nosherwani also vowed strict action. “Those responsible for the incident will be brought to justice after an inquiry,” he said, adding that the safety of miners was a top priority for the government and that a strategy was being devised to ensure proper safety protocols in all coal mines.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2025