QUETTA: The bodies of the remaining two miners trapped following a methane gas explosion in a coal mine near Quetta were recovered on Saturday.
The explosion occurred on Thursday at a private coal mine in the Sorange coalfield, about 30 kilometres northeast of Quetta. The methane gas explosion triggered a fire, caused the mine to collapse and affected another nearby mine.
Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mines Muhammad Atif confirmed to Dawn that “all 34 bodies of coal miners trapped” in the mines had been recovered.
He said the last two bodies were recovered after hectic search efforts. The bodies of 32 miners were recovered on Friday.
‘Probe ordered’
Mr Atif said both mines had been sealed after the rescue operation was completed and a probe into the tragedy had been ordered.
“A team of mining experts has been formed, which has initiated a probe into the incident,” the official added.
All of the miners hailed from KP’s Shangla district, Mr Atif said, adding that their bodies hadbeen dispatched to their native villages. “Twenty-three miners who lost their lives belonged to Pirabad alone,” he added.
Abid Yaar, president of the Shangla Coal Mine Workers Association, said that Mian Kalay in Pirabad, from where 23 of the miners hailed, had become an epicentre of repeated coal mine tragedies.
Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026
