Rescuers recovered six more bodies on Sunday after a gas explosion at a coal pit in Balochistan’s Singidi left a dozen colliers trapped in the mine, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said.
The rescue work has brought the total number of bodies retrieved to 10 while the search for two remaining miners continues.
“Two more miners’ bodies are still trapped in the coal mine and rescue operations are ongoing to retrieve them,” Chief Mines Officer Abdul Ghani Baloch said.
Meanwhile, the Mines Department has decided to take legal action against the mine owner. The chief mines inspector has sent a letter to the deputy commissioner and requested him to register a case, stating that the Coal Mines Committee “failed to implement safety measures.”
“Strict action will be taken for the lack of safety measures in the mines and those responsible for the accident will be brought to justice,” Provincial Mineral Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani said.
Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, and deadly incidents are not uncommon.
Twelve miners were killed in a gas explosion at the same mine in June last year.
On Friday, four bodies were recovered from the coal mine. The deceased miners belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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According to the deputy rescue director, the miners were trapped at a depth of 4,200 feet. Debris from the mine’s entrance was removed using heavy machinery.
There was only one electrical line in the mine, which was destroyed in the explosion, he said.
Last year, 82 miners lost their lives in 46 accidents, reports said. A 2023 report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan indicated that safety standards in coal mines are “rarely enforced.”
