Collier killed in gas explosion in Balochistan mine

At least one coal miner was killed and another four injured in a blast inside a coal mine in Balcohistan’s Dukki district on Saturday.

Police told The Express Tribune that the mine was filled with methane gas and there was a huge explosion in the mine.

“One collier was killed and four others sustained serious burn wounds as a result of the explosion,” said a police official, adding that the injured miners were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital Dukki for treatment.

An emergency was declared in the hospital to treat the injured.

Levies and police personnel reached the affected mine and started an investigation into the incident.

Hazardous working conditions in coal mines of Balochistan have claimed dozens of precious human lives in the past few months.

On May 6, two miners were trapped inside a coal mine in Balochistan following sudden flooding of the pit. Officials said 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.

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 28^th, 2023.