Two killed in Orakzai coalmine blast

KALAYA: Two miners were killed and the contractor sustained injuries after a gas explosion occurred inside a coalmine in Khonosam area in the lower part of Orakzai tribal district on Saturday.

The miners were working inside the coalmine when all of a sudden an explosion occurred caused by accumulation of methane gas in the mine in Khonosam area.District Police Officer Nazir Khan said that the coalmine collapsed due to the explosion, burying the miners under the debris alive.

The bodies of miners identified as Muhammad Alam and Rahmat Gul, residents of Shangla district, were retrieved while the contractor named Saeed Wali rescued them after hectic efforts.

This is the second such explosion in the current month. Eelier, nine miners had been killed and four others had sustained injuries in the explosion in Doli area in the lower part of Orakzai tribal district. There are more than 4,000 coal mines in Orakzai tribal district and over 3,000 labourers work in these mines.Mine safety in Pakistan is very poor and several deaths are reported every year. Workers use obsolete equipment and there are hardly any safety protocols in place.