Eight miners killed, 13 trapped in Quetta coal mine blast

QUETTA: At least eight miners were killed and 13 others trapped after an explosion inside a coal mine in Sanjawi area, some 30 kilometres from Quetta on late Sunday night, officials said Monday.

Rescue teams, FC Balochistan and Levies personnel reached the spot and launched rescue operation. Police official Wajeet Khan told media persons that the blast happened in the village of Sanjawi about 30 kilometers from Quetta. He said rescuers have retrieved eight bodies and that 13 other miners are missing and feared dead with rescue operations hindered by the gas leak.

Chief miners said that the deceased workers belonged to Shahgla and Dir areas and he confirmed that eight bodies have been recovered from coal mine and five still are missing. Caretaker CM has expressed his grief sadness over the loss of precious lives in the incident. He has also asked the authorities concerned to expedite rescue operation. --INP

AFP adds: The mine caved in after the miners used dynamite during an excavation in Sanjawi. "There were up to 22 workers present in different tunnels in the mine, some who were as deep as 4,000 feet when the blast occurred," provincial chief mines inspector Muhammad Iftikhar said.

Nine workers who were in the upper tunnels were pulled to safety, he said, but rescue teams later found the dead bodies of eight miners at the depth of 800 feet. He said rescue teams were still working to find the remaining five miners, but do not expect to find them alive.

Provincial secretary for mines Saleh Muhammad Baloch confirmed the incident and casualties. He said that while the use of dynamite in the mines is officially prohibited, "the miners often use this explosive to quickly excavate." Coal mines in the impoverished province are notorious for poor safety standards.