Hazardous excavation: Six officials booked for deaths of 11 miners

ABBOTABAD:

The police arrested six officials of the Abbottabad mines department after a court ordered the cancellation of their bails before arrest on Saturday. The officials, who are in police custody pending investigation, include the mines assistant director and mines inspector.

At least ten miners and a contractor were killed when a phosphate mine caved in on January 25 in Batkinala, Tarnawai. Rescue workers were called from other cities to help recover the victims in a hectic 72-hour effort.

Initially, a criminal case was registered against the contractors, Muhammad Riaz, Younas Shah and Muneer. However, police investigation proved that the mines department had been aware of the excavation of phosphate from the illegally-developed mine for about one-and-a-half years, but did not stop the excavation. The investigation revealed that the excavation was being carried out without proper safety measures for miners, and held mines department officials responsible for the accident.

After submitting the investigation report in court, the police incorporated the names of Hazara Mines Assistant Director Muhammad Riaz, Irfanullah, Sagheer Ahmed, Nisar Ahmed, Jameel Ahmed and K-P Mines Director General Mian Farooq to the list of accused. The officials then obtained bail before arrest from a local court, which was cancelled on Saturday by the Abbottabad sessions court. The police arrested five officials from the court premises, except the mines DG as he is on a foreign tour.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2012.