Accumulation of gas: Five labourers dead in Orakzai mine collapse

Three men, including mine owner, arrested along with six others for running illegal operations.

PESHAWAR/ LOWER ORAKZAI/ DOLI: An explosion at a coalmine in the Doli area of Orakzai Agency left at least five labourers dead on Saturday.

The explosion-- triggered by an accumulation of gas -- caused the mine run by Shiraz Coal Company to collapse, injuring at least six other workers.  Three men including the owner, contractor and manager of the mine have been arrested.

Seven miners were killed in the same area last month.

The injured were moved to the Agency Headquarters Hospital where they were provided medical treatment. Doctors described their condition as stable.

Political Agent Zubair Khan told reporters that as many as 11 labourers were working in the mine at the time. According to him, the blast was caused by the accumulation of gas in the mine which subsequently collapsed.

He said that all sensitive mines in the area had been closed after seven people were killed in the March 13 mine collapse in Lower Orakzai. Khan also said that the mine was operating illegally.

He added that rescue teams of the political administration and the Frontier Corps along with heavy machinery were rushed to the site and were trying to rescue trapped workers.

The head of the disaster management authority in Fata Fayaz Ali Shah told The Express Tribune that mines in the agency with dubious safety measures have been banned.

The dead were identified as Ihsanul Haq, Hussain Ahmad, Syed Alam, Arshad and Amanullah. Their bodies were moved to the agency hospital where they would be handed over to their relatives for burial.

Khan added they had arrested the mine’s owner Murtaza, contractor Wali Khan and manager Gulzar in addition to arresting six other coal mine owners in the area for illegal operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2016.