Mine collapse kills five in AJK

Two injured recovered after rescuers manage to dig through the rubble

ISLAMABAD: Five of the miners trapped in a coal mine near Muzaffarabad were found dead after rescuers finally managed to dig through the rubble on Monday.

According to reports, two other injured miners were rescued while the bodies of the deceased miners were recovered around 12 hours after the collapse of mine’s stopes.

The deceased and injured miners belonged to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The injured miners were under treatment at Combined Military Hospital when the report was filed.

According to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the remote area where the mine was located lies near a fault line formed after the 2005 earthquake.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, JICA had strongly advised against any construction in the area. However, besides the mine that partially caved in, there are others mines as well where work continues despite the danger of cave in.

Although these mines were situated at a distance from each other, they fall on the same fault line, the local people said.

People residing in the nearby area have also expressed reservations as the water springs in the area have also been polluted by the mines. The local communities used the water from these springs for their routine work.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2017.