Quetta [Pakistan], January 11 : A gas explosion at a coal mine in Quetta's Sanjdi area has resulted in the deaths of four miners, with efforts still underway to rescue eight trapped inside, ARY News reported on Friday.
According to ARY News, the rescue operation has been ongoing for more than 27 hours, with authorities working tirelessly to reach the trapped miners. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed that three additional bodies were retrieved from the mine, raising the total number of recovered bodies to four.
The incident occurred on Thursday, around 4:00 pm (local time), when the gas explosion caused a section of the coal mine to collapse, trapping 12 workers inside.
The trapped miners are believed to be located about 4,300 feet underground, while the bodies recovered so far were located 3,000 feet deep, as reported by ARY News. The explosion caused a major collapse in the mine, and rescue teams are working to create an alternative route to reach the miners.
According to ARY News, the operation is complicated due to the presence of gas and challenging weather conditions, with local miners assisting the PDMA teams.
In March 2024, a similar incident took place when 18 miners were trapped in a coal mine in Harnai, Balochistan. Rescue teams successfully retrieved 12 bodies, and six miners were rescued in injured conditions.