QUETTA, Jan 4: At least eight miners were killed in an explosion in a coalmine in Dashtari near Mach town, some 70km east of here, on Sunday.

A rescue operation was undertaken but a huge fire which erupted after the explosion was causing problems. Only one body has so far been retrieved.

“No one can survive in the mine in those conditions,” Chief Inspector of Mines Mohammad Ashraf told this correspondent on phone.

He said that the blast and the fire had been caused by methane gas.

According to sources, 11 miners had descended into the mine at 10:30pm on Saturday night and the explosion took place at around 1:30am.

Two miners survived the blast and the fire and raised alarm.

Miners tried to rescue their trapped colleagues but they did not succeed because of fire and smoke. The chief inspector of mines and rescue teams from Quetta and Mach are reported to have arrived at the site in the morning.

“Rescue teams have so far been able to reach a depth of just 900 feet. Fire, smoke and gas are blocking rescue workers from reaching the miners who were working at a depth of about 1,800 to 2,000 feet,” Mr Ashraf said, adding that they were trying to dig another shaft to reach them.

He said that rescue teams could not reach the trapped miners until the fire was brought under control.

“This is the second such incident in the same mine over the past two years,” mine worker Mohammad Khalil told newsmen.

He said the mine had been closed after the first accident last year, but the contactor had bypassed safety rules and opened a new shaft.

Police identified the mine worker whose body was recovered as Abdul while the miners still in the mine are Khudadad, Ali Akbar, Abdul Rahim, Nadir Ali, Ali Khan, Khudadad junior and Ali Jan.