Two colliers trapped in Balochistan coal mine

Miners say rescue teams reached the site very late

QUETTA:

Two miners were trapped inside a coal mine in Balochistan following sudden flooding of the pit.

Officials told The Express Tribune that both the miners were working deep inside a coal mine in the Dukki area when the colliery was suddenly filled with rainwater after a heavy downpour.

There were several miners inside the underground pit at the time of the incident but most of them were quick enough to rush out and save their lives. However, the two of the colliers were trapped in the mine because they were too deep to escape the calamity.

Personnel from the Frontier Corps reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. “We are waiting for the last 12 hours to find our two coworkers safe and alive and reunite with them but so far all in vain,” Nazar Jan, one of the miners who survived the tragedy said, adding that the rescue teams reached the site very late and there was no one from the mine’s owners or the mines and mineral department of Balochistan to supervise the rescue effort.

The operation was underway in the affected area till the filing of this report.

It may be mentioned here that each year dozens of mine workers are killed in blasts, mine collapses and other tragic accidents across the province.

Not a single inquiry has been ordered by the government in any of these incidents as many consider the mining sector of great importance for the province and they don’t want to create problems for the sector by means of such official inquiries.

This approach has put the lives of thousands of miners in danger as there is no proper rescue force equipped with specialized heavy machinery to carry out the rescue work in the event of any mishap.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2023.