Harnai blast kills four miners, injures five

Army rescues five workers trapped underground

QUETTA:

In yet another coal mine tragedy in Balochistan, four miners were left dead and five injured as the Pakistan Army rescued five workers trapped underground after a gas explosion in Harnai district on Sunday, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

"Five miners trapped inside the coal mine were rescued alive through a timely rescue operation by the Pakistan Army," it said.

"Four miners have so far lost their lives, while five others sustained injuries in the gas explosion," the outlet added.

The army completed the rescue operation after the explosion trapped the miners inside the mine. The injured workers were later shifted to Quetta for further medical treatment.

Gas build-ups are a leading cause of accidents in Pakistan's coal mines, where workers continue to face serious safety risks.

Labour union officials said miners had repeatedly complained about the lack of proper safety equipment and poor working conditions, which they identified as major reasons behind the frequency of such accidents.

The Harnai incident is the latest in a string of deadly mine accidents in Balochistan.

Last month, three workers were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in the Degari area of Mastung district.

The toll was far higher in late July, when at least 32 coal miners, most of them from Shangla, were killed in a powerful methane gas explosion at a mine near Quetta. The victims' heirs later refused to accept compensation cheques worth Rs400,000.

The tragedy prompted the National Labour Federation (NLF) Balochistan to demand reforms in mine safety.

NLF Balochistan General Secretary Umar Hayat said only 17 mine inspectors were overseeing safety standards in Balochistan.