Mohmand marble mine collapse toll rises to 23

CM promises rescue operation will continue until last missing miner is found

PESHAWAR:

The death toll in the Mohmand marble mine collapse has risen to 23, officials confirmed on Friday.

Meanwhile, the provincial chief executive handed compensation cheques to the victims.

Noting that a rescue operation is still underway in the Safi Tehsil of the Mohmand tribal district, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director-General Pervaiz Khan said that so far, they have recovered 23 bodies and nine injured men from beneath the debris.

The PDMA official added that rescue efforts are underway at six to eight points on the mountain. However, he said that they are facing some difficulties because the mountain is not smooth and it is not easy for the machines to move around.

Moreover, he said that there is no data about how many people were at the mine and where exactly they were working. As a result, he said that they are unable to say how many people may still be stuck in the mine.

Another complication which has been dragging the operation on, the official said is that they have to suspend it at night.

Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Friday visited the district. He met with the families of those affected by the mine collapse and distributed financial assistance cheques amongst them.

He gave away cheques worth Rs900,000 to the family of each martyr and Rs100,000 to each injured miner.

He also announced a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 for the family of Samiullah, who was the only brother of seven sisters and had perished in the incident.

Expressing his condolences, the chief minister said that the incident in the marble mine was an extraordinary tragedy.

“There is no substitute for human life, however, the government is taking all possible steps for the assistance and relief of the victims,” he added.

Mahmood asserted that the rescue operation will continue until all the missing miners are recovered.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2020.